Shattered Sunrise
by dreaming in black and white
Summary: Edward’s out hunting. Alice is on her way over to see Bella, but leaves a cryptic message ordering Bella to stay inside the house. Alice’s visions can spot danger before it happens…and of course, Bella always does what she’s told. Doesn’t she?
1. Take care of my Bella

**A/N: So…this is my first ever fan fiction. Please let me know what you think of it! Comments and/or suggestions regarding spelling, grammar, characters and plot etc. are welcome – I will try to reply if you leave your email. **

**The story starts early one morning, about two weeks after the end of Eclipse. If you haven't read all three books yet, this could spoil some bits for you. But hey, I'm not about to tell you not to read this. Enjoy… This could be fairly long; stories take their own sweet time in the telling. Please bear with me…**

**Disclaimer: ****This is based on, and includes the characters from, Stephenie Meyer's **_**Twilight**_** series. I do not own **_**Twilight**_** or any of the characters…**

**Chapter 1**

I woke to find Edward gone, my bed unusually warm where he normally lay beside me.

Gone, gone… I sat bolt upright, the sudden movement making me dizzy as the last vestiges of sleep fled. Gone hunting, I remembered. Sure enough, a note lay on the pillow.

_I'll be close_, it said. _Take care of my Bella._ I couldn't help the smile that sprung to my lips as I flipped the note over, not expecting to see anything so surprised when there was more writing. _Alice is coming over later_, and it was almost as though I could hear the chuckle in his voice. _She wants to take you shopping._

A groan escaped my lips. Shopping with Alice! I glanced hopefully out of the window, but although the sky was overcast it didn't look like a storm was going to hit. Which, I knew, would be just about the only thing to stop Alice dragging me through shop after shop for hours on end. If it was a really bad storm. As in, flooding and lightning, the entire storm deal. Besides, if that was going to happen she'd know already, and the family would have gone hunting earlier so that they could play baseball.

I gave an involuntary shudder as the memory of the last baseball game hit me. James, Victoria…but they were both dead now. It was over and I was safe – which meant my wedding was drawing closer every day. This second shudder was greater than the first.

Trying to push aside the thought, along with the headache that was beginning to press on my temples, I hurried through my morning routine, wondering if there was any possible way I could escape before Alice arrived. Even as I considered the appealing idea, the phone rang downstairs.

"Are you awake, Bells? Alice is on the phone for you," Charlie called.

Of course.

I hurried down the stairs, holding back my damp hair with one hand and trying not to yawn as Charlie passed me the phone. "Hi, Alice."

"Don't even consider it, Bella." Her voice was all sweetness and light, but I knew there was steel behind it.

I sighed as my hopes sunk. "I wasn't really serious."

"Good. Are you up yet? I want to come over."

"Doesn't normally stop you," I grumbled. Charlie, still hovering, frowned at me and I shooed him away. "Yeah, sure. Come over any time."

"Thanks." There was a short pause. "Is Charlie still there?"

"Yes. Why?" I was startled.

"No reason. Look, Bella, promise me you won't leave the house before I get there." Something about her request, her voice, made me hesitate. I glanced around to check that Charlie had disappeared into the kitchen, lowering my voice.

"What's the matter, Alice?" My heart caught in my throat. "Edward –?"

"Nothing. I'll be over soon, see you then. Please don't leave the house. I'm driving. Bye, Bella." She hung up, leaving me staring at the phone in my hand. What was going on? What had happened?

"Is Alice all right, Bells?" Charlie wandered back out of the kitchen, a muffin in one hand, mug of coffee in the other.

I turned quickly, guiltily, replacing the receiver. "She's fine. We're going shopping." I couldn't quite help wincing.

"Shopping?" His expression matched mine.

I shrugged helplessly. "It's Alice, isn't it?" I changed the subject quickly, uncomfortable with the idea of shopping. "You're going out?"

He nodded. "Yeah." He glanced at his watch, drained his mug in one gulp. "Got to go. See you later, Bells."

I glanced about the room after he'd gone, oddly unsettled. What was wrong with Alice? Why had she insisted I sat at home until she arrive? A thought struck me, and I felt goosebumps run along my skin. What had she seen? What if –

My gaze fell on Charlie's discarded mug, and I bent to pick it up, noticing the envelope underneath. Seeing the address I remembered he'd wanted to post it and hurried after him, skidding through the porch and having to seize the doorframe to stay upright. I straightened in time to see Charlie's cruiser disappear around the corner.

Trust me. I examined my thumb, resigned to see the splinter buried in it, and turned to go back into the house. I stopped dead as something caught my eyes, swivelled slowly back.

A dark shape beneath my truck, a shadow among shadows. I shrunk back, for some inexplicable reason filled with fear, the hairs on the back of my neck prickling and my breath catching. I was frozen for a moment that seemed to last hours, but gradually my breathing returned to normal. The – what? – _thing_ beneath my truck didn't move.

I could feel my heart pounding, hoped that whatever it was couldn't hear. For some reason I found myself gifting whatever it was with sentience, my mind flickering from one possibility to the next. An animal? A tramp? But the prickling unsteadiness of my heartbeat told me it was perhaps something more. Was this what Alice had seen?

Where _was_ Alice? When was she going to arrive? She'd said she was driving, but that simply meant she'd be a little slower than if she'd decided to run. _How much slower?_ my brain demanded.

It still hadn't moved. Playing dead? But I couldn't see why it would. There was no reason for it to hide, assuming it was actually some sort of creature and not a mound of rubbish somehow swept under my truck. Although I knew that it wasn't.

The wind whistled through the tops of the trees, setting them whispering among themselves as the envelope slipped from my nerveless fingers. My eyes were drawn to the sky where the clouds ruffled and stirred, beginning to race across the sky as though pursued by some great beast, like an ocean tide fleeing back down the beach. I could see spots of sky as the clouds whirled past them, opening peepholes which cast quickly moving shadows across the earth. As suddenly as it had begun, the wind slowed, sending a fresh wave of ominous premonition through me.

I looked back towards my truck, almost fearful that _it_ would have moved – would have gone – would still be there. The fear gathered in my stomach once more as a finger of sunlight crept across the ground, straight for the shadows. I knew it would cast them aside, show me what was hiding there, and for some reason that terrified me as much as the idea of not being able to see it. I didn't look up at the sound of tyres screeching to a halt in the road, unable to tear my eyes away as the shadows began to fall away.

A girl was curled up underneath my truck. She was fast asleep.

A blur flashed across my vision and before I could even turn to see what it was, my back thudded into the wall as Alice crouched in front of me, the strands of dark hair drifting down to her shoulders the only sign that she'd moved at all. I realized with a start that the threatening growl I could hear was issuing from her.

"I told you to stay in the house," she snarled.

"Alice, it's a girl," I protested. I could see now that the girl was no more than thirteen, a child with all the vulnerability and innocence that entailed across her face as she slept. Dark hair, black in the shadows, lifted in the breeze that swirled around the tyres of my truck, but the girl did not move. Lashes as dark as her hair brushed her cheeks in crescents, utterly still; but for the slight flutter of the wind in her hair, she could have been carved from stone. "She's just a little girl," I whispered again.

"So am I." Alice's voice was hard as steel.

I stared at her unmoving back, unable to speak for a moment. "She can't be a…" I choked over the word, swallowed and tried again. "She can't be a vampire. She's sleeping."

"She could be pretending," Alice pointed out, but she sounded doubtful. Edward's sister rose with slow gracefulness so that she stood in front of me, stance still wary and defensive but less obviously about to attack. "Her smell…" Alice's face flickered towards me for a second, long enough for me to register the absolute confusion in her gold eyes. "I don't know what she is."

Her admission set a chill in me, fear rising once more in my throat. "Is she what you saw this morning?" I asked, forcing my voice to remain level and quiet.

Alice's head turned more slowly. "Bella, I didn't see anything this morning."

"But you –"

"I didn't see _anything_."

The cold knot in my stomach tightened, registering what was going on long before my mind could follow. I shoved at my hair with one hand. "I don't –" And stopped. Because something had glittered at my wrist, drawing my eyes, and I saw the bracelet I wore, the one Jacob had –

"Werewolf?" I whispered. My heart began to race, and I took an involuntary step forward. Alice blocked me with a glare.

"Not a werewolf. I'd have smelt it." Alice reminded me more of a predator now than she ever had, circling slowly towards my truck like the hunting tigers I had seen once on the TV. "She smells...strange. Go inside and call Carlisle, Bella." I looked again towards the sleeping girl, torn by indecision. She was a child. I glanced between her and Alice, struck by the dreadful difference between hunting predator and defenceless child, and made my decision.

"Alice, please." I took a few steps forward and Edward's sister spun, something akin to fury in her beautiful face.

"What do you think you're doing, Bella?" Her hands caught my arms as I came closer, and despite the gentleness of her grip I knew it was as solid as steel.

"What are you going to do to her?" My heart was fluttering, terrified of the sleeper even as I tried to protect her. I didn't think Alice would hurt her, but I'd never seen such a look in her eyes before either. "You'd have seen if she was anything bad."

Alice's tone was coloured bright with frustration. "Bella, I couldn't _see_ anything."

"Which points to her being a werewolf," I pointed out. "In which case, Sam wouldn't let her do anything. I doubt there's more than one pack in one area," I added quickly. A sudden hope I tried not to let grow had begun to swell in my heart, but I struggled to hide it from my face.

She stared at me, exasperation written across her perfect features. "You know, I always wondered how you constantly manage to get in so much trouble," she sighed. "But now I see that it's your complete obliviousness to danger."

For some reason that made me feel strangely insulted.

"You look at her and you see a child," Alice murmured. "Don't you remember Bree, Bella?" She must have seen the flash of horror that crossed my face at the mention of the newborn, because she nodded with something like satisfaction. "Age is deceptive, Bella. Can't you feel how dangerous she might be?"

I tried to go for a nonchalant shrug. "I'm terrified," I admitted under her piercing, disbelieving gaze, knowing that she'd see through any lie. "But I'm not going to hide inside. That did a whole lot of good last time, didn't it?" I remembered again that awful day, the battle with Victoria and Riley; the plumes of thick, acrid smoke that had hung above the forest for such a terribly long time. "In any case, what are you going to do?" I asked her. "Edward and the others are too far away to help."

"I'm not entirely helpless, Bella."

"Implying that I am?" Her face was absolutely blank, which gave me all the answer I needed. I sighed. "Look, if we're going to wait much longer she's going to wake up and answer the matter for us anyway. I want to talk to her," I pleaded. "I want to know what she is, and why she's here."

I sensed her resolve wavering. "Edward won't be very happy if anything happens," she warned.

"Nothing's going to happen," I replied with a confidence I didn't feel, but began to move closer to the truck.

I could feel Alice roll her eyes. "And this is why she gets in so much trouble," she muttered, barely loud enough for me to hear, but she stepped in front of me, shielding me with her body. "He'd never forgive me," she told me firmly.

The sleeping girl didn't stir even when we crouched down beside her, as close as we could get to her with the truck in the way. I peered over Alice's shoulder – she was still insisting on remaining firmly between us – and noticed the pallor of the girl's face under her golden skin, the black circles beneath her eyes. She must be exhausted, I decided, but another possibility hit me. I glanced at Alice, although I already knew how pale she was. I'd seen her with dark circles under her golden eyes, too, and I wondered exactly what the girl was. I was startled by a new idea.

"She…she's not dead, is she?"

Alice shook her head with absolute certainty. "I can hear her heartbeat," she murmured. I heard an odd note in her voice that I could only describe as tenderness, but that was impossible, ridiculous.

Unease flooded through me, and the chill set in even deeper than before. She looked like a vampire, I was almost certain. But there were several indisputable facts which told me that every one of my instincts was wrong. Firstly, she was asleep, and secondly, Alice could hear her heart beating. I knew, perhaps better than anyone, that it was impossible.

"Bella, I want you to stay very still." Alice's voice was calm, even as she reached out one slender white hand to touch the sleeping girl's shoulder.


	2. Not like me, not like you

**A/N: be very proud of me. Admittedly, I had already written this chapter, but still. Hope you like it…reviews welcome (and wanted!) x **

**While i remember, Twilight doesn't belong to me...Certain new characters do though. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 2**

Instant reaction.

A pair of dark eyes snapped open, the girl's face openly confused and vulnerable for less than a second before wariness leapt into it, lips curling back into a menacing snarl which revealed her bright white teeth and had me recoiling instinctively. This…creature was more different than the sleeping child of only moments ago than I could have dreamed, and the transformation had newborn Bree leaping unwanted into my mind again. Alice, however, did not even flinch, deceptively delicate hands closing around the girl's wrists as her fingers curved like claws.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

A growl sounded deep in the girl's throat, but she made no attempt to move. Her dark eyes flicked to and fro with a wildness which reminded me of an animal, something predatory in the way they scanned over my face and finally settled on Alice. The little vampire only leant closer to the child she held. "Speak," she hissed, startling me with the pure venom in her voice.

The girl stared at her for a long moment, and I noticed her sudden trembling. Not with fear, I realized; with anger, and a memory was flung into the forefront of my mind. Jacob, shaking with rage –

I forced the image away as the ache was reopened, felt a new wave of unease surge through me. "Alice," I started apprehensively, "I think –" The words froze in my throat as the girl's gaze spun towards me, a fresh snarl twisting her lips. Her eyes abruptly widened, then narrowed and slid back to Alice's face as she finally spoke.

"Let me go." Her voice was softly lilting, almost musical. It was the voice of an angel, and once again I was struck by the similarities between her and the Cullens. "Let me go," she repeated, and it was with incredulity that I saw Alice's hands release the girl. "Go back in the house. There's nobody here. You haven't seen anyone."

To my utter amazement, Alice stood up slowly and turned around, face oddly wooden as she began to head towards the house. I caught her arm, and her eyes slid slowly to look at me. "Alice. Alice!" I put a hand on each of her arms, stared directly into her face. "Alice, what are you doing?" She gazed at me blankly for a second before suddenly shaking her head, golden eyes clearing.

"Bella?" Then her expression snapped to one of fury, which I had only seen on her face once or twice before. She spun around, moved in a blur of speed to where the girl had slunk from beneath my truck and seized her once more. I saw the disbelief on her face as she found herself captive again, opened her mouth to speak. "Don't even try it," Alice told her tightly. They stared at each other for what seemed a very long time, eyes black and gold, as though each was attempting to stare the other down, but I suddenly noticed how Alice was straining to maintain her grip on the girl's wrists even as the other struggled to get free. My heart sped up as I realized that Alice had no obvious advantage, but the flash of surprise and fear across her opponent's face told me the strange girl was as at a loss as I was to understand what was going on.

Finally she stopped, lowered her head in an obvious sign of submission.

"No tricks," Alice told her, quietly threatening. "Come." Still holding onto the girl, she motioned me with one curt toss of her head to precede them into the house. Awed, confused and frightened, I obeyed, only glad to be able to look away from the awful battle of wills which simmered between them.

Although Alice was half-dragging the girl, she was as silent as the little vampire herself, and I cursed myself for constantly trying to find similarities. It was impossible. No vampire slept, had a heartbeat. And yet, no human had that pallor or was strong enough to challenge Alice.

I stepped well back as Alice pushed the girl down in Charlie's chair. "Bella, I want you to call Carlisle," she ordered me. "Tell him to come here; I'm not risking moving her." Irritation and anger flared in her golden eyes, prompting another snarl. "Don't start that," she hissed, and the girl fell instantly silent, instead glowering with those dark eyes which followed Alice's every move.

I picked up the phone, dialled in the number of Carlisle's mobile with fingers that shook. He didn't answer for such a long time I was almost convinced he wasn't going to, but then I heard his voice. "Charlie?" He sounded anxious, and I thought I heard more voices behind his.

"Actually it's Bella," I told him. "Alice is here too, but I had to call because we couldn't leave her and –"

"Bella." Carlisle's beautiful voice was calm now. "Tell me."

I took a deep breath, met Alice's eyes across the room. "There was a girl sleeping under my truck," I summarized. "She's…odd. Alice is watching her, but she didn't _see _her. She wants you to come here; she can't risk moving her. She said she smells strange," I added. "She's not…like me. Please come." I tried not to let my fear show in my voice, but I think I must have failed.

"Is she hurt?" The question snapped out briskly, but I heard the worry.

"Alice is fine. So is the girl, I think. She's not hurt, anyway."

"Tell him it's important." Alice didn't move her eyes away from the girl, her face calm. I found myself wondering at her composure.

"She says –"

"I heard her. I'm on my way. Be careful, Bella." I nodded, forgetting for a moment that he couldn't see me, but before I could remedy my mistake – feeling like an idiot and, of course, blushing – he had hung up.

"He's coming," I told Alice pointlessly, knowing that she would have heard both sides of the conversation.

"Thank you, Bella." Her eyes swung towards me for a fraction of a second. "If I suddenly decide to let…our guest go, I want to you slap me, Bella."

I felt my eyebrows rise. "Slap you?" I repeated stupidly, but Alice had already turned to face the girl who sat sulkily in the chair. She was tensed as though ready to run, wariness obvious in the tautness of her posture. She reminded me once more of an animal; cornered, hostile and frightened. Her clothes were damp, stained with grass and mud, bare feet tucked up underneath her,

"What's your name?" Alice asked, her tone level.

The girl stared at her silently, belligerence in every angle of her face. I studied her features properly for the first time, noting with a quick surge of envy how pretty she was. Why were all the people I kept meeting so perfect? She had golden skin – despite the pallor – shining, blue-black hair which fell thickly just beyond her shoulders, and those dark, deep eyes framed by long, curling lashes. It struck me suddenly that she bore a startling resemblance to the Quileutes; to Jacob's people. A fresh ache hit my heart, and I hastened to think of something else.

"You're not going to get away." Alice's soft voice broke through my reverie. "I'm not going to let you escape."

I found myself almost holding my breath as I waited for the girl's answer, eyes roving over her face. It came at last in that angel's voice. "You are Alice?" There must have been some sort of confirmation on her face, as the girl nodded. "And Bella." Those dark eyes turned to me, studied me with a naked curiosity in them which brought the image of the sleeping child crashing back. The girl's head flew suddenly back to face Alice. "She's not like you," she announced almost accusingly, and I heard the child in her tone in spite of the glorious music of her voice. "You smell…sweet, but she smells…" The girl's eyes, all at once darker, widened and she began to tremble again, hands clenching into fists which whitened her knuckles. With a sudden jerk of a movement that had Alice springing to pin her down, the girl clamped both hands over her face, fingers digging into her own forehead as she struggled to control herself.

I stumbled back two paces until my back thumped against the wall, feeling all the blood drain from my face. This was Laurent, and Bree, and Victoria all over again. And this time only Alice was here.

The words of Edward's note seemed to mock me as I stood there frozen, unable to move even when Alice snapped the order for me to get out. _Take care of my Bella_, Edward's voice whispered again. What would he say if he could see the trouble I'd managed to get myself in this time?

There had to be something wrong with me. Why did there always seem to be some creature which shouldn't by rights exist thirsting for my blood, seeking to kill me? Of course, if I'd had it my way I wouldn't be in this danger now, I thought sourly. Graduation had been and gone, if only Edward –

My gaze was drawn back to the girl who seemed to be fighting some colossal internal battle, and it struck me that this was the first of them who had fought against leaping across the room to devour me – I gave a shudder at the thought – without any firm prompting from one or another of the Cullens. Even before Alice had flown between us, this strange girl had struggled to stop herself. What was she? I found myself wondering again. Not a vampire, not a werewolf and definitely not human.

The trembling had almost stopped, but the girl kept her hands tightly clenched together, face averted from me as she spoke, voice suddenly husky with apparent effort. "Could you…do you have some sort of food I could have?"

The request had me staring at her like an idiot. The circles beneath her eyes seemed darker, I noticed. "Food?" I repeated idiotically. "What sort of food?"

She shook her head, sending mesmerizing waves of shining blue-black hair cascading over her shoulders. "Anything. Fruit, a biscuit, anything at all. Please, Bella," she added cajolingly, and the use of my name shocked me into turning numbly into the kitchen. I glanced around. _Fruit, a biscuit…_ I seized an apple and hurried back, stopping dead with it in my hand. I didn't want to go any closer than necessary. Call me a coward, especially as Alice was so close to those snarling teeth and inhuman strength the girl had displayed before, but I wasn't a vampire. Yet.

"Pass it here," Alice ordered, and I hesitated only a moment before tossing it as gently and accurately as I could towards her. It veered off far to the left in a course that made me flush with embarrassment, way over the girl's head, but one hand snapped up to snatch it out of the air with a blurring speed that made me stare. How could she not be a vampire? I was distracted as the girl sunk her teeth viciously into the fruit, unable to stop myself shivering as I pictured those same teeth cutting through my flesh.

She took her time nibbling around the core right down to the seeds, watched by both of us. I couldn't see Alice's face, but had the feeling that Edward's sister was more than a little nonplussed by the strange creature before her.

We were both surprised even more when the girl murmured, "Thank you." She settled back in Charlie's chair, eyed Alice. "I'm all right now," she told her. "I can see you're not going to let me go, are you?" A speculative note entered her eyes and she began to open her mouth but Alice got there first.

"Don't even consider it," she told the girl sweetly, in the exact tone she'd used on the phone to me earlier. Barely half an hour and an age ago.

Suddenly a little girl again, she shrugged with a mischievous smile that lit her face to breathtaking beauty. "I wasn't really serious."

Alice and I exchanged quick glances, but the girl seemed oblivious. "Are you going to tell us your name now?" Alice asked carefully.

"I'm Callie." The girl tucked a strand of hair back behind one ear with her free hand. "Have you got a bin I can put this in?"

"Sure." Housekeeper was a role I could play, so I was almost happily comfortable as I entered the kitchen, hesitating only a moment before grabbing the small bin and carrying it through. I held it out to the girl – Callie – and wasn't even surprised when she tossed it casually right into the basket from the other side of the room.

"Thank you," she said again, licking her sticky fingers in a childlike gesture which was such a marked contrast to the spitting, snarling animal she had been before that I found myself at a loss to understand her. "Why are _you_," she looked at me, "here with _her_? Aren't you worried at all?"

My eyes met Alice's. She shrugged. I didn't know what Callie could be talking about, because how could she know what Alice was? "This is my house," I explained carefully. "What are you doing here?"


	3. Don't let them hurt me

**A/N: Okay. Would _really _appreciate more reviews...tell me what you like/hate/don't understand etc... please!! Feeling unloved...**

**Twilight does not belong to me, but Callie does.**

**Chapter 3**

One of Callie's eyebrows quirked in a singularly teenage motion, although it was the first time I had seen her acting as one. She had been little girl, adult and animal in the space of an eye blink, so this new role – one I should have perhaps expected from her – seemed just as alien to the girl herself. "Don't you remember? Alice dragged me in here. Close the door," she suddenly ordered.

It took a moment to register. "Excuse me?" Her abrupt rudeness startled me,

"Stop it, Callie." Alice's voice held steely command.

"Have you any idea how frustrating that is?" the girl demanded. I felt the blood rise to my cheeks, cursed myself for blushing.

For the first time a smile twitched at the corners of Alice's lips. "I think I do," she admitted. "Now it's my turn for questions. Where are you from, Callie?"

A cautious note sprang into the girl's eyes. "Here and there," she answered carefully. "Not here."

"There, then?" There was something akin to amusement in Alice's face. "All right. Are you from La Push?"

A frown marred Callie's smoothly golden brow in what appeared to be genuine puzzlement. "What – or where – is La Push?"

"Never mind." So Alice's mind had leapt to the Quileutes too. Or maybe just the werewolves. There was a pause as she thoughtfully tapped one slender finger against her cheek. "What are you, Callie?" she asked at last.

The child dropped away from the girl's face and there was some sort of ache in Callie's eyes, sorrow and pain with a depth that surprised me in one so young. "I'm a monster," she told us.

"In what you are or what you do?" Alice countered swiftly. Her answer surprised me, but I found myself holding my breath for Callie's reply.

There was a long pause. "In being what I am makes me do," she spoke at last.

"What are you, then?" Alice asked, but Callie had apparently had enough questions.

"Who is Carlisle?" she interrupted, and I let out a long breath. Despite her situation, or perhaps because of it, she was noting every detail.

Alice paused a moment before answering. "He's a doctor."

The word had Callie's eyes widening with what I realized unbelievably was fear. Vulnerable once more, she scrambled back in Charlie's chair, drawing her legs up to her chest as though to make herself as small as possible. "I can't, I won't!" She repeated it over and over like a chant, dark eyes flickering side to side in absolute terror. "Don't make me, don't let them hurt me!"

My eyes met Alice's, and she was as bewildered as me. "It's all right, Callie," I murmured at last in what I hoped was a soothing manner. "He's Alice's father. He won't hurt you, Callie."

Her dark eyes, bright with unshed tears, studied mine for a long time as I tried to hold my gaze clear and sincere. Eventually she nodded.

"Why do you hate doctors, Callie?" Alice asked gently. "What happened?"

I saw Callie flinch at the word 'doctors', noticed that she tensed up as though preparing to run. "They hurt me," she whispered plaintively. "Because I'm a freak, and a monster, and they have to..." her voice dropped even more. "They have to _examine_ me." The way she said it made it sound like a dirty word, but it also held the agony of remembered pain that made me ache for this woman-child. I knew what it was to be considered a freak; but somehow I also knew that it wasn't the way this child had been treated, how it was meant. All I had considered unbearable was, I sensed, incomparable to what Callie had suffered.

"Where are you from?" Alice asked again.

The girl hesitated. "I told you."

"Of course. Here and there," the little dark haired vampire laughed scornfully, "and not La Push."

"I'm not going back there."

"Because there are doctors? Why do they have to examine you?" Callie shook her head desperately, lips pressed tightly together. "Why?" Alice demanded.

Callie's eyes flicked between us both. "If I tell you you'll know it's true," she whispered. "I'm a monster."

"I doubt you'd surprise us," Alice told her in a firm, no-nonsense tone.

Callie stared up at us, eyes deep and dark and wounded. "I can hear – and smell – and see better than anybody else," she replied in a small, ashamed voice. "I can run faster, and I'm stronger. Stronger than everybody except you." Her gaze was almost accusing, and Alice inclined her head in acknowledgement. "I can make people do what I want. Dr. Osborne..." She choked over the name, and I glanced towards Alice quickly. "He says I'm a devil and a freak and they have to –"

The girl sprung up faster than my eyes could follow and tried to bolt, but Alice was too quick for her. I blinked, wondering if I could ever get used to the speed of these people I spent most of my time with. Alice was struggling with Callie by the door, but I hadn't seen either of them move at all.

"Don't do that, Callie. Go and sit back down." Their eyes locked for a moment before the teenager flared back into her face. The girl nodded sullenly, stalking back across the room to Charlie's chair with a grace that almost took my breath away. Followed by Alice, the pair of them could have been two dancers, but there was something in both their stances that was far more dangerous. I glanced down at myself with a sigh. Barefoot where I'd forgotten to put socks on, straggles of damp hair on my neck; I could barely walk across the room upright, let alone move with the grace which seemed to come so naturally to both the other girls in the room. Both were unbelievably gorgeous too, I noticed with a sigh, even now. Alice's face was smoothly calm, but Callie was obviously sulking.

"Are you all right, Bella?" Alice didn't look at me, kept her eyes trained instead on her prisoner. I wondered suddenly what would happen if Charlie came home, and felt suddenly sick. I didn't want him drawn into this battle of inhuman strength and willpower.

"I'm fine," I replied, a little too late, but Alice chose to take my word for it.

"What else can you do, Callie?"

There was a short pause. "Nothing," the girl replied. It was obvious she was hiding something, but Alice didn't press her. Edward would find out soon enough, I knew, and the thought of him had me suddenly missing him. I sighed again, running a hand through my damp hair.

All at once Callie stiffened, eyes dark as she began to tremble even more violently than before, lips curling back into an animalistic snarl. Alice immediately clamped both hands of Callie's wrists, glanced towards me with flashing golden eyes. "Bella, I want you to go into the kitchen and get another apple, please. Now."

I'd seen that danger in too many eyes to disobey, so I scrambled out as fast as I could and grabbed another piece of fruit. I hovered in indecision, half convinced by my terror that I shouldn't go back, but I couldn't leave Alice. It was probably stupid, I knew even as I turned back, but I had to give her the apple. Who knew what would happen if I didn't? Alice couldn't see. Where was Carlisle?

As soon as I stepped into the doorway, Callie's head snapped up. Her eyes were so dark they were like empty holes, and I was suddenly struck with the awful realization that it wasn't the colour which made them so dark. It was pure bloodlust, one so compelling I hadn't seen since that first day at school, a hint of red in the black. That agonized stare froze me in place, the apple held stupidly in one hand as I found myself transfixed. Alice's head flipped around as she followed Callie's gaze, and I could see the confusion and indecision in her eyes. Could she, would she risk releasing one of Callie's hands to take the apple?

I saw the moment she decided, braced myself to toss the apple as Alice's grip relaxed marginally on the girl's wrist. There was a blur of movement, the apple slipping from my fingers as my body froze in absolute terror. It was only because time seemed to slow that I saw what I would have otherwise missed.

That tiny opportunity had had Callie wrenching her hand free from Alice's grasp in a movement so fast I barely saw it even in that moment of heightened awareness. But instead of pulling away completely and coming for me with bloodlust raging in those dark eyes above the black circles, Callie shoved her wrist towards her own mouth.

Her teeth glittered – and time resumed its normal path. I watched with disbelieving horror as Callie bit savagely through her own skin, kept her mouth locked on the wound as her throat pulsed and swallowed. A drop of blood trickled down the golden skin of her arm, my eyes following it with dumb slowness as my stomach twisted with disgust at the smell of rust and salt – I tried to hold my breath, which allowed my mind to spring back to the real matter at hand.

I couldn't believe it.

Alice too seemed mesmerized with shock or revulsion, fascinated by the way colour seemed to flood into the girl's cheeks; but she kept one hand firmly over her nose as I realized the blood must be inciting her own blood lust.

Callie lost the chalky pallor, dark circles fading even as I watched so that her face glowed with golden health and a breathtaking beauty which would challenge even Rosalie. However, the more the girl drunk so too did her shoulders sag, as I watched the strength drain out of her.

"Alice," I choked, and then more loudly, "Alice!" Her head snapped around. "Alice, she's killing herself! Stop her!" I pleaded as the vampire's face twisted with indecision and the agony of denying herself the blood which flowed so freely. "Please!" I begged again.

Alice's eyes were filled with absolute revulsion as she turned back, the rise and fall of her breathing abruptly halting. Despite the somewhat muffled growl which issued from Callie's throat, she reached forward and gripped the wounded wrist, perilously close to the girl's teeth.

In a sharp movement I might have missed had I not been watching so carefully, Alice tugged Callie's arm away; but the girl's teeth were so firmly embedded – I gave a shudder – that it jerked the girl's head forward too, dark eyes sliding up to fix Alice with a gaze that held murder.

I didn't hear the words that Alice murmured under her breath, but I did catch the increased volume of Callie's growl, felt my heartbeat falter once more.

Alice's other hand came up to grip Callie's throat, and I let out an involuntary cry of protest. What was Alice thinking? She could kill her so easily, snap her neck like a twig. But Alice's grip did not falter; if anything, it hardened, until she forced Callie's mouth from her wrist by the simple expedient of sheer strength.

A spray of bright red blood flew in a kind of gruesome rain across the room, making my stomach heave, and I squeezed my eyes closed against the way the room was swimming, one hand clamped over my nose. My head was beginning to spin, legs turning to jelly. The doorframe hit me in the centre of my back as I stumbled a step to the side, legs finally giving way so that I slid down the wall to the floor.

I felt arms catch me, lower me gently down; my last thought before everything went black was _How the hell am I going to explain this to Charlie_?


	4. I think I'm okay

**A/N: You know, it's just struck me (partly thanks to one of the comments from the amazing isabellsah cullen, who is solely responsible for fully half of my reviews…come on, people!) that this has, so far, been a remarkably Edward-less story. Three chapters and he hasn't appeared yet! Have you missed him? Admittedly, he's only been gone about an hour…shows how much trouble Bella can get herself into (with a little help from me) in such a short time! But don't worry…he'll be turning up soon.**

**Incidentally, you might want to check out a poem I wrote; titled, ever-so-imaginatively, 'Edward's Poem', it's on the site so you'll be able to find it through my bio. Wow, thought – while you're there, you can REVIEW it too! Hint hint hint. Pretty please.**

**Quick survey: What do you think Callie is? Should I introduce another new character? And how many of you think that Jacob should turn up sometime to complicate things?**

**Please REVIEW! x**

**Chapter 4**

I can't have been out for very long, because Alice was crouched by my side when I awoke. The fingers of one hand were a coolness against my forehead, while her other hand rested on my cheek, pleasantly icy on my hot skin. My eyes fluttered open in confusion, and I took a deep breath which almost made me gag as the smell of blood filled my nose.

"Shallow breaths, Bella," Alice murmured. I noticed that she was barely breathing herself, except when she had to speak. "Carlisle will be here soon."

"Carlisle." I nodded slowly, suddenly sitting bolt upright and trying to peer around Alice. "Callie. Is she...?" I caught sight of a figure curled up on the carpet in a little ball, felt my heart leap into my throat. "She's dead."

Alice shook her head, repugnance flashing across her beautiful face. "She's alive. She was sucking blood from her own artery, for God's sake." I shuddered. "We really need Edward," Alice added disgustedly. "I don't know what she is, but I really want to know."

"Is she okay?" I asked anxiously. For some reason, even though she wanted my blood and was a potential threat to the life the Cullens had created for themselves – and, soon in the future, for me as well – Callie fascinated me. Maybe Alice was right; maybe I _didn't_ have any sense of danger, but there was something about her that told me she was reacting in the only way she knew how and that, given a chance, she could be like...I stopped. Like the Cullens? She wasn't a vampire. I didn't think.

Callie was a bundle of contradictions which confused me. There were things that pointed very firmly towards the possibility of her being a vampire – such as the bloodlust, the strength, her speed and the chalky pallor of her skin. Her beauty and grace as well, I supposed with resignation. But then there were those other factors which, no matter how I twisted them, irrevocably denied that the girl was a vampire. No vampire slept; no vampire had a heartbeat. And vampires certainly didn't bleed, I added with another shiver.

And then there was the way she had made Alice let go of her. What had the girl said? _I can make people do what I want_. Why had it not worked on me?

"Why did they choose today to go hunting?" Alice heaved a sigh. "I'll go check. She's still breathing," she added reassuringly. "And her heart's stronger than it was before." I clambered shakily to my feet, one hand flat against the wall as Alice glided over to the still girl, bent down carefully.

There was a long silence.

"Well?" I demanded at last, unable to stand not knowing.

"Bella, it's..." Alice swallowed, lost for words for the first time since I had known her. I'd never believed Alice could possibly not know what to say. "Come here."

"Is it safe?" I knew how stupid that sounded as soon as the words had left my mouth, a blush rising to my cheeks as Alice laughed.

"Safe? You're in a blood-spattered room with a vampire and some creature that wants your blood and you ask if it's safe?"

"Comparatively," I shrugged, and her face sobered.

"I suppose."

I made my way as quietly as I could across the room, crouched down slightly behind Alice and trying not to breathe the sickening scent of the blood that had soaked into the girl's clothes. "What is it?"

Alice lifted Callie's arm with one small hand, skin appearing paler than ever against the gold of the girl's arm. I flinched back, seeing the sticky blood on her skin, but as Alice turned the arm over I gasped. Instead of the angry, gaping wound I had anticipated, a dark pink scar marred her wrist. Even as we watched, the edges puckered and faded. "Have you seen anything like this before, Bella?"

I didn't answer for a long moment, my mind spinning from memory to memory in an attempt to stop it settling on the one image I didn't want to see, but I was fighting a losing battle. The kitchen – dishes dripping by the sink – a knife –

"Jacob," I whispered.

Alice nodded once. "I thought so," she murmured. "Bella, she's waking up. I want you to go sit over there, and stay there." I didn't have to be told twice as Callie gave a moan, shifted slightly. Her dark eyelashes fluttered on her cheek, dark eyes suddenly snapping open. Except they weren't as dark as they had been before; instead, tawny bronze irises darted about the room, settling finally on my face. The girl groaned.

"I'm so sorry." She spoke softly, but there was a clear tremor in her lilting voice.

"Are you all right?" Alice's tone was gentle but guarded as she rocked back on her heels, keeping a careful distance between herself and Callie. I noticed that once more she was barely breathing and found myself glancing around the room. It was a mess, and I wondered with despair how I was ever going to explain this to Charlie. He might believe stitches and concussion, but a spray of blood across most of the room? Unlikely. Having said that, with me anything was possible.

Callie pushed herself into a sitting position, wincing as she leant her weight on her injured-but-healing arm. "I think I'm okay. Well, I guess you know another of the reasons I'm a freak," she added with a weak, hopeless smile.

Alice shrugged, her cherubic face managing to make a lopsided smile stunning. "A little odd," she allowed. "But from what I've seen, I doubt you're a monster."

Callie just stared at her. "Didn't you just see what I did?" she demanded. "I wanted her blood! I would have killed her!"

I finally found my voice. "But you didn't," I pointed out.

"You have no idea how much I wanted to," Callie admitted shakily.

Alice murmured something I couldn't quite hear, but I was fairly sure that it was something along the lines of, "I really do."

Callie shook her head slowly. "How can you? You've been here longer than me – you've _touched_ her – it would drive you crazy!"

"It's taken a while," Alice told her. "You stink, you know that?"

Distracted, Callie wrinkled her pretty nose. "I really do, don't I?" Her eyes surveyed the room more slowly, the corners of her mouth turning down. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry," I assured her, trying not to think about how I would have to clear it up. As it was the smell was rusty in my nose, a headache beginning to simmer behind my eyes. I longed for Edward; for him to hold me, to breathe in his scent to chase away the nauseating smell of blood.

I glanced at the two girls, tension written in stance and expression, both so beautiful and so absolutely wary of the other. Pale and golden, young and ageless; despite the disparity between them, it was still somehow me who was the odd one out. This feeling was furthered when both stiffened at precisely the same moment. "My father's here," Alice informed us both calmly.

Callie's eyes, dark red-gold, widened, and I remembered how she had tried to flee before.

"Carlisle won't hurt you, Callie," I assured her.

The girl studied my face for a moment before nodding. She looked away, fixing her gaze on the front door, ever part of her body radiating wariness. I still couldn't hear the roar of a car engine through the tense silence in which we waited and I realized that maybe Carlisle would have run instead. None of us moved.

I watched the door with trepidation but still found that my breath caught in my throat when a knock echoed into the room. Callie drew her knees up to her chest at the noise, but Alice only turned her head slowly towards me. "Would you let him in please, Bella?"

I stood on shakily unsteady legs, stumbled towards the door and wrenched it open. The figure immediately in front of me wasn't Carlisle, but I didn't really have time to see before I was swept up by familiar arms against a solid chest, inhaling the scent of the boy I knew and loved better than anything else in this world. "Edward," I breathed, all worries immediately borne away on a wave of happiness. Everything was all right. Edward was here.


	5. Wounded child, snarling animal

**A/N: I love Edward. I mean, not obsessively or stalkerishly, but still...he's so much fun to write for. I think I'll keep him (not that I ever had any **_**serious**_** ideas of killing him...only joking. I promise never to kill Edward – or at least to give you advance warning if I do decide to). I know this is another short chapter, but i can promise the next will be longer! Review for me! x (and I'll keep leaving kisses if you review...)**

**Chapter 5**

"Bella, are you all right?" His voice was low and urgent, but I could only sigh at its beauty. "Bella," he repeated with tender exasperation.

I leant back slightly, ready to reply, but the sight of him staring down at me with those golden eyes – too dark, a part of me noting anxiously that he hadn't had enough time to hunt – had my heart tripping. He could turn me inside out without even trying, chase away every thought in my head and complete me just by _being_.

"Bella," he said again, but this time his voice was warmer, a smile quirking the corners of his lips in my favourite lopsided smile. A frown flashed across his forehead. "Why can I smell blood, Bella?"

I breathed deeply and happily, unconcerned by the muddle of my thoughts. "It's not mine."

Edward took my hand in his icy fingers, had me tripping contentedly after him as he moved into the house. "Believe me, Bella, if it was –" he recoiled suddenly, face twisting with revulsion. Carlisle moved past us, perfect features calmly composed.

Standing by the door, I could see the whole room and I understood Edward's horror. It was a mess; blood spattered across the carpet, drips on the wall. Callie was tensed on the floor, Alice beside her, and from here it was obvious that Edward's sister was there more to keep the younger girl captive than to care for her. Callie's teeth were showing in a slight snarl, eyes following Carlisle's every move with distrust as he made his way – movements smooth and slow, as though approaching a wild animal – to Alice's side.

Seeing her fear, I walked slowly into the room. Her eyes flickered towards me, flashed past me to Edward. "Callie, this is Edward." I glanced back to him, but his gaze was on Alice and I knew he was reading what had happened from her.

Determined not to show any of the nervousness I felt, I started forward again before Edward's hand on mine softly but firmly held me back, drawing me slightly behind him. Annoyed, I looked up in time to see his eyes move onto Callie, but that simple movement could not have warned me for what happened next.

Callie flinched, seeming to shrink as she scrambled back across the floor with her eyes as wide and terrified as a child's or an animal's. Carlisle and Alice's murmurs stopped dead, their heads snapped round to look at her, and she only drew back further. Her bronze eyes darted frantically about the room, finally settling on Edward, a snarl twisting her lips as she stared at him with panic. I could see no reason for the abrupt transformation of wounded child to snarling, hissing animal.

Edward took a step forward in an automatic attempt to place himself between me and the girl, and all hell broke loose.

"Stay out of my head!" Callie shrieked into the sudden silence, face contorted with fury and terror. "Stay out of my head! Leave me alone, get away from me!" She gathered her legs beneath her, ready to attack or run. "Get away from me! Go far away and never come back!" Her voice suddenly cracked, but she drew in a breath to scream once more, "Leave me alone!"

I didn't have time to wonder how she knew Edward was listening to her thoughts, because to my horror his face became abruptly blank, dropping my hand as he turned to do her bidding.

"Edward!" I cried, grabbing his arm, but he simply shook me off without even looking at me. My stomach twisted back into that same cold knot I had felt before, glancing at Callie with a new fear as I saw Alice and Carlisle straighten up as well. I reached for Edward again, but his hand flickered out of my grasp. "Edward, come back! Please, Edward," I begged, but he ignored me. His sister and father, too, brushed past me on the way to the door, both moving with an entirely uncharacteristic leaden sluggishness. There was no emotion, no expression, on their faces.

I turned to the only one I knew would hear me. "Stop it, Callie," I pleaded with her frantically. "Stop it, he doesn't mean anything by it. He's not trying to hurt you."

"Go!" she screamed. "Bella, go!"

A hot ball of anger joined the icy knot in my stomach, giving me the uncomfortable feeling of burning and freezing at the same time. "I'm not going anywhere," I replied furiously.

"Why doesn't it work on you?" The girl was plainly terrified, and I recalled through my own fear that cornered animals often struck out at anybody near in their fright. Callie was striking out in the only way she knew, and I forced myself to calm my voice, hide the fear that was growing inside me.

"Callie, stop it!" I commanded once more. "You're safe, I promise. Bring them back, please." Knowing that I was quite possibly risking my own life and praying that I would survive long enough for Edward to be angry with me about it later, I moved closer, reaching out to her with a hand that trembled.

She stared at it as though it were a snake, pressing her slight frame back even further.

"I'm as frightened as you, Callie," I admitted. "You're scaring _me_. Please, please stop." And my fingers closed over hers, felt the icy chill of her touch and wondered at it.

We both stared at out linked hands for a long moment. I felt as though my heart were pulsing as quickly as a rabbit's, as though somebody was trying to tear it from my chest. Edward was walking away from me, heedless of my cries, and it was that night in the forest all over again. But this time, there was perhaps something I could do, if it didn't kill me. "Please," I whispered again.

At last Callie's eyes, deep and dark and brimming as twin wells, lifted to mine. "Stop," she murmured without moving her gaze from mine, and my heart leapt. "Come back."

Neither of us spoke as we waited, neither looked away; only when the vampires re-entered through the door, graceful as ever and with expressions of confusion and fury, did she lower her head and begin to cry. I felt the tears on my own face; tears of relief that I was still alive, of joy that he had come back, and grief for the lonely little girl who held my hand – and my heart – in her grasp.

Very slowly I eased forward, ignoring Edward's sharp intake of breath and the way my skin crawled in contact with the stickiness of her blood as I carefully wrapped my arms about the girl and simply held her, terrified that at any moment she might kill me but knowing that I could do nothing to stop it. Knowing that I could not have reacted any other way. I felt my muscles tense as Callie laid her head on my shoulder – perilously close to my vulnerable throat – but only the warmth of her tears soaked into my shirt. I met Edward's eyes above her head and saw an unreadable expression among the topaz, but the tension in his body spoke more eloquently of his terror for me. My lips curved upwards through the trickle of tears that wet my cheeks, and I found myself smiling at him. Maybe I was crazy, I thought wryly, because there was definitely something hysterical about the moment.

The room was utterly still for what seemed a long, long time.

It was only then that something oddly out of place filtered through my consciousness. The warmth of the tears soaking into my shirt; Callie's tears were warm. Her skin was icy – and yet, I could feel it warming as I held her, heat beginning to blaze as she trembled violently –

My gaze met Edward's with alarm, realization flaring in them. His teeth were drawn back to show his teeth, nose flaring with disgust. He glanced at Alice, who nodded grimly. "The smell," she hissed. "That stink…"

I drew away slowly, dread steaming within me like boiling water, the level creeping slowly up as it bubbled. Callie's entire body was shaking so brutally I was afraid she might hurt herself, bones rattling as the tremors increased until her form blurred.

Jacob's face swirled in my mind, along with the images of his wound, Callie's wound, the animal I had seen in Callie's eyes. One word was circling in my head, rising in volume like a crackling, unchecked fire, like the heat of a person about to turn –

_Werewolf, werewolf, werewolf._


	6. Nothing's going to happen

**A/N: Nice long chapter here for you...PLEASE review! I'm starting to feel unloved...when I'm unloved i get writer's block...(well, okay, I don't. I just get distracted and satrt writing new stories...one of which won't make sense until this one's finished. So I won't be posting that.) Please leave me lots of nice happy reviews...make me smile!**

**And Edward's here again sooo...**

**Chapter 6**

It was Carlisle who started moving first. "Alice, get on the phone to Billy Black and tell him to get Sam Uley over here now," he snapped. "Edward, get Bella out of here."

Edward swung me up smoothly into his arms with such practiced ease I barely noticed, Carlisle replacing me as he scooped up Callie as though she weighed no more than a feather. I didn't have time to close my eyes as the room around me blurred, Edward moving so easily I didn't notice he was until I realized we were outside by my truck. Alice was already on the other side, holding her mobile to her ear.

"You really have a talent for picking them, don't you?" I become conscious Edward was talking to me. His voice was tightly controlled which told me he was angry, but he didn't give me a chance to reply before lowering his face to mine so that our foreheads touched. He filled my whole world, every breath that I drew in, every thought in my mind –

The laugh that tumbled from my lips was breathlessly hysterical. "It's ridiculous how much I missed you," I admitted, watched the smile spread across his face, fill his eyes.

"We'd better get in," he murmured, lips tantalizingly close. "Alice is getting touchy."

"And you're irritating her," I surmised, pleased that the glitter in his eyes told me I had guessed correctly. "Come on, Edward. Where are we going?"

"Can you please get in?" Alice leant out of the window. "We need to get away from here in case she comes back."

"Why is that bad?" I asked as I allowed Edward to buckle me in to the passenger seat, knowing neither would permit me to drive my own truck. He exchanged a glance with Alice.

"I don't know how you've survived this long," he murmured. "Bella, if she comes back when she's a werewolf...you remember Emily?"

I swallowed. "But what about all the blood?" I objected. "Charlie's going to flip if he comes home to that."

"Billy's organizing for Charlie to go straight over to La Push," Alice told me. "We'll have plenty of time."

It took a moment for her words to sink in. "No," I said firmly when they finally did. "You're not clearing that up, Alice. Or you, Edward. I'll do it by myself."

"And have Charlie come home to find you've fainted, with blood everywhere?" Edward asked me pleasantly. "I don't think so."

Knowing that if I argued any more I'd lose, I sat back in my seat with folded arms. "What's Carlisle going to do?"

"He's taken her into the forest, and then making sure she doesn't head towards Forks." That thought had all three of us silent as we considered the idea, Alice speeding along the roads towards the Cullens' house. It surprised me that they hadn't argued for once over who would drive.

"What exactly did you see this morning, Alice?" I asked her at last.

She glanced over at me. Even though I should be used to it by now, her casual lack of attention towards the road had my fingers tightening on the edges of the seat. Edward chuckled softly, but I ignored him. "You were going outside holding an envelope. You skidded, grabbed the doorframe and disappeared," she replied calmly.

"Why can't you see Callie?" I wondered. "What is she?"

"Honestly? I have no idea." Although her face remained smooth and untroubled, I knew Alice well enough by now to know that she was worried.

"She doesn't smell...right," Edward clarified. "Not like us, and not like a dog. Werewolf," he added quickly as I glowered at him.

"It's almost like ..." Alice's voice trailed off, and she glanced excitedly at Edward, biting her bottom lip.

"Is that even possible?"

"I don't know. I don't see how. She can –"

"But not everything."

I sighed loudly, hoping it would alert them to my presence and remind them that I had no idea what they were talking about. They glanced at me with almost identical expressions of amusement, but before either said anything Alice snatched her phone out of her pocket just as it began to vibrate, even before it rung. "Hello?" She listened for a moment before replying, "all right. Thanks, Mr. Black."

Billy. "What's happening?" I whispered to Edward.

"Sam Uley and Leah Clearwater. They're on their way over." Edward's lips curled back into a sneer.

"Sam and Leah? Why Leah? Oh," I realized. "Callie...I don't understand," I begun.

"It's the clothes thing, Bella," Alice explained delicately.

"I got that. I was just thinking, if she's not...one of _them_, how...?"

"The question's really 'what'." Alice pulled up in front of the Cullens' house, sprung down from the cab as Edward's fingers flew to undo my seatbelt.

"It's like she's a mixture," Edward continued with a curl of his lip. "Alice thinks she's got the...qualities of both."

"Speed, strength, and senses." I nodded. "On your side; eyes, cold hands, grace. And the drinking blood thing," I tried to smile as he lifted me out with one arm. "But then she's got blood and a heartbeat, she can sleep, and also apparently change. She went warm too," I remembered, forcing away the aching memory of Jacob lying beside me in that cold tent. "And the way she healed..." I couldn't help shivering, and Edward drew me automatically closer to his side with one arm.

"It's all right, Bella," he breathed, mouth close to my ear. I leant my head against his shoulder gratefully.

"I love you," I sighed.

I couldn't concentrate on anything all day. All I could think of was Callie out there somewhere in the forest...with Carlisle and Sam and Leah. Charlie called around six to tell me he was heading over to La Push; did I want to go too? I actually sunk low enough to reply that Alice and I were busy with wedding plans; she brightened up on the other side of the room, pretending to pout when I shook my head violently at her as I told Charlie I'd be staying over.

The phone rang again an hour later; I was staring blankly out of the window at the gathering clouds as Alice snatched it up, speaking softly and quickly enough that I knew it was one of her family on the other end.

"We're going to the clearing," Alice told us grimly as soon as she set the receiver down. "Up where we played baseball, Bella? That's neutral ground. Sam's calling the pack together; Jasper and the others are meeting us there."

"When?" My hands gripped the edge of the coffee table as I remembered the last time I had been in the clearing. A battle had been fought there so recently; Jacob had nearly been killed there.

"Not yet." Edward's long, cool fingers covered mine, bringing my limp hand up to brush a kiss across my palm. Ridiculously grateful for that simple gesture, I leant my head against his shoulder and felt instantly protected as he turned to wrap stony arms about me, drawing me against the smooth marble of his chest. "Nothing's going to happen," he murmured, pressing his lips to my hair. "I won't let anything hurt you."

I didn't voice that it wasn't concern for my own safety which had me suddenly worried, the familiar nagging ache beginning to hum. Except now it was Callie I feared for, the strange little girl loose in the forest with very likely no idea what was happening to her and no way to stop it. It occurred to me abruptly to wonder when I had passed from fearing her to fearing _for_ her, but I pushed the thought away. She was just a child; no matter what Alice said, Callie wasn't Victoria or Bree. Seeing her struggle to fight the almost overpowering urge for my blood had convinced me of that.

"You need to eat before we go, Bella," Alice interrupted. "You haven't had anything all day."

"I'm not hungry," I replied quickly. "I actually feel a bit sick." That was the wrong thing to say, I realized as Edward pulled away from me, concerned. "Not really sick. Just in a not-hungry sick kind of way," I added hopefully. Edward's beautiful eyes met mine with scepticism, but I avoided it and looked across the room to Alice. "You're going to have to take me back home first. I haven't got any shoes," I pointed out. I was hoping that I'd have a chance to do some tidying up while I was there too, even though the thought of having to clear up all that blood made me light-headedly dizzy but knowing that I'd have to somehow explain it to Charlie otherwise was enough to give me the beginnings of a headache.

"That's all right." The look Alice shot me told me that she knew what I was up to. "You left a pair here last time you came. And some jumpers, too." She smiled sweetly, the expression absolutely angelic.

I knew full well I hadn't left anything here. She'd been shopping again. "Alice," I began heatedly, "you can't –"

"Please, Bella." The breath caught in my throat as Edward's icy fingers drifted up my cheek into my hair, the corners of my traitorous mouth twisting involuntarily into a smile. Carefully I turned my face to his, aware that Alice had disappeared upstairs – sure of victory – as soon as she had heard his voice.

"Edward," I chided him without half the conviction I wanted in my voice. "That's not fighting fair." My resistance was quickly fading as he brushed a butterfly-light kiss over my cheekbone.

"We're not fighting."

"You're trying to change the subject," I accused him, even as I thrilled at the touch of his fingers tucking back a loose strand of my hair.

"Really?" He laid his hand over mine, drew it aside so that he could pull me closer, nuzzling my throat. With a sigh I gave up what little resolve I had remaining, curling up in his lap as close as I could so that his scent filled every breath I took.

"Whatever it is, it's still not fair."

"You're right," Edward murmured, his lips so close to my ear I could feel the chill of his breath on my skin. "Smelling as good as you do is hardly fair."

"Why don't I ever win arguments with you, then?"

He gave a low, throaty chuckle. "I love you, Bella."

I knew he did. And I loved him so much it sometimes felt my heart would burst with it, loved him enough to give up everything I knew for him. Loved him more than anything else I knew in the world, so much that my mind went foggy whenever I tried to think about it. I lifted my hand to touch his cold cheek, and saw my ring glint in the light. Loved him _that_ much.

"Got some stuff for you, Bella." Alice reappeared in front of us, and I turned away from Edward reluctantly. His sister was holding a bundle of clothes – sure enough, I'd never seen any of them before.

"Thanks, Alice. I really wish you'd stop buying stuff for me, though." She flashed an irresistible smile that had me reaching out for the clothes she held with a sigh. "How long until we're meeting them?"

"Time enough. Don't worry, Bella." Alice wrinkled her nose. "Hasn't Edward told you that you still stink of dog?"

I glanced down at my shirt, seeing that in my worry I'd forgotten all about the stains of blood which had dried into the fabric. "Thanks for letting me know."

"You've got to eat something before we go," Alice told me firmly. "Edward, go get her something from the kitchen, please." He flickered out of the room, giving me time to shrug quickly out of my dirty shirt and into the clothes Alice handed me before he came back with some of the food which I know was stocked in the house for my benefit only.

"Thanks, Edward." I took a few bites as I pulled on another jumper, suddenly realizing that I was ravenous. There wasn't enough time to eat more, though, so I just gulped down what was there before pushing my feet into the shoes Alice had set on the floor. "Ready. Come on, we should go."

"Will you be all right if we run all the way?" Edward took my hand, led me from the house into the smoky shadows of twilight. He smiled lopsidedly at my swallow, but I nodded.

"Sure. I'll close my eyes. Just watch out for trees." His chuckle sounded in my ear as he swung me up, began moving even before I wrapped my arms tightly around him, eyes already clenched shut. The wind flicked my hair out behind me, cooled my face as we flew through the forest, and despite the horrifying speed I knew we were travelling at I felt utterly, absolutely safe.


	7. Never forgive myself

A/N: So, we have some nice happy little Bella-and-Edward bits here

**A/N: So, we have some nice happy little Bella-and-Edward bits here...****isn't that fun? Some Cullen family moments too, hope you enjoy hanging out with them as much as I do...please drop me a review to let me know what you think – any ideas about where you think the story's going, what you want to happen or other suggestions etc.**

**I'm back to school this week with more exams so I can't promise I'll update very soon but I'll try! Enjoy... xxx**

**Chapter 7**

When we stopped and I finally forced my eyes open, we were still among the trees. Alice had flitted ahead, a delicate dancing fairy among the deep shadows, and Edward lifted me down slowly. I still stumbled, awkwardly clumsy after the soaring smoothness of the journey, but his hands rested around my waist to hold me safely so I didn't fall. Even so I managed to lose my footing, until Edward caught my hands softly and placed them on his shoulders to steady me.

"Where's Alice going?" I gasped, breathless from the speed at which we had travelled.

Edward lifted a hand to stroke softly over my hair, a tender smile teasing his lips. "She's gone ahead to scout out the clearing. She hates not being able to see what's going on." His cold hand traced the line of my cheek from ear to chin, brushing my lips with the lightest touch of one finger which nonetheless sent a thrill of electricity through my body. "It makes her a little edgy, which is part of the reason she was so...short with your friend the werewolf this morning."

"Don't call her that. We don't know what she is." I protested before hesitating. "Edward...how was it that she knew what you were doing? That you were in her head, reading her thoughts?"

He brought one of my hands up to his cheek, held it there so that I could feel the coolness of his skin against my palm. "I'm guessing it's because we have such...similar talents. I could feel what she was doing, too, but I didn't know how to resist it. I could have left you, Bella," he murmured, and I was horrified to see the guilt and sorrow in his eyes. "I'll never forgive myself for nearly leaving you again."

"It wasn't your fault, Edward." Unable to bear seeing that look in his eyes, I flung my arms about his neck and held him close, feeling tears prick my eyelids at the thought of losing him. "It wasn't."

"You still risked your life for it," he reminded me, but his arms snaked around my waist and held on as though he would never let go of me.

"It was already being threatened if you were walking away from me," I whispered.

His hold on me tightened, face pressing wordlessly into my hair. At last he turned his head slightly so that I could feel his lips move against my cheek. "Thank you for bringing us back, Bella."

I twisted my head, needing to look at him, to see his face. "I love you, Edward." My words were greeted with a brilliant smile that lit his eyes, spreading across that angel face in a flash as he lowered his forehead to mine.

"You're my everything," he replied, sweet-smelling breath flowing over and through me like a breeze from heaven. "I love you so much." His eyes met mine, slid down over my lips, but some sight or sound I was oblivious to had them darting away from me into the shadows around us as he drew back. Although his arms still circled me possessively, he was looking up and over my head long before Alice reappeared with a silent grace I would have missed. I had never been so unenthusiastic to see her.

"The werewolves are around," she told us grimly, the fact that she was speaking aloud for my benefit only mollifying me slightly for her interruption. "I can smell them, they've been skulking around, but they haven't come out into the clearing yet. I doubt they will until we've all arrived," she added.

Edward nodded his agreement, turning his head quickly to kiss my forehead. "Are you all right to go out there now, Bella?"

I nodded, not risking speech around the sudden bubble of fear in my throat. The clearing…James and Victoria's faces, particularly their deep red eyes, flashed into my mind; the newborn Bree rocking back and forth in frustrated bloodlust; the stench of burning in my nose, clothes, hair…and Jacob, poor wounded Jacob. "I'm fine," I managed to choke out at last, trying to ignore the throbbing mixture of guilt and pain. All of this was bringing the memories I had tried to shut away back to the forefront of my mind, back to torture me with my mistakes. I glanced up to my vampire's face, the ache dulling as the certainty that I had made the right choice hit me again. Edward would never be counted as one of the mistakes I had made. He was everything.

He led me now by the hand with Alice flitting like a white butterfly beside us, both careful to keep to my speed and never showing any impatience as I stumbled and tripped along behind him in the darkness with a slowness that must be infuriating to both of them. After what seemed an interminably long time, the shadows began to lighten and we walked out at last into the vast open field I remembered so vividly in my nightmares.

For a moment, it was as though the lowering darkness was thick, choking smoke and my heart turned over once in my chest. But Edward's fingers tightened on mine, that simple contact dispelling the phantoms from my vision so that I could see there was nothing there.

We made our way together to the outcropping of rock where that first time Esme had sat with Emmett and Rosalie. For once Edward used both hands to lift me, as though he couldn't bear to let go of me even though he settled down at my side a bare second after I was seated. He closed me back into the circle of his arm, drawing my head down to rest on his shoulder with a cool hand that stroked my hair softly. I stared at the glitter of Edward's ring on my finger as that hand lay against his marble chest, lost in its sparkle as I tried to convince myself we were in our meadow, the sun shimmering against his skin.

His cheek leaning against my head, Edward crooned my lullaby softly, but despite the calm of the moment I felt compelled to ask, "What now?"

"We wait," he replied quietly. "It's going to be all right, Bella. Everything's going to be fine."

"Everything's going to be fine." I repeated the words over and over to myself like a maxim, hoping that if I said it enough I would begin to believe it, but the terror in Callie's bronze eyes kept coming back to haunt me. I was here, safe with Edward; but she was alone and frightened, a lost child who had suffered more than any child should have to bear.

She had fought to stop herself killing me, sinking her teeth into her own flesh rather than hurt me even though all she knew of me was my name. That incredible, incredible…

Lost for words, I huddled closer to Edward. Whatever she was, wherever she had come from, I had to do something to help her. She was…I clenched my eyes closed. She reminded me of Jacob, and I hoped that this time I would be able to do the right thing. Perhaps I could forgive myself a little if I managed to do that; because there was something about her so like Jacob that I found myself hoping that by aiding one, I could help the other.

Time ticked by; hours, minutes, seconds merging into an endless circle as the sky darkened, shadows lengthening to point like fingers from the forest, accusing me – of what? I had no idea how long we sat like that, the only sounds the gentle murmur of the wind in the trees and the soft whisper of Edward's voice as he continued to sing the lullaby he had written for me. I was vaguely aware of Alice as she came and went, gliding through the dimness as the light faded. None of us spoke; for Alice and Edward, there was no need for speech, and I was preoccupied with my own thoughts and fears.

Perhaps I drifted into sleep, because I slowly became aware that Edward had fallen silent. Despite the eerie quiet that echoed across the field, I felt oddly calm, as though my fears had taken wing and fled as I had slept. My leaden eyes refused to open so instead I settled for snuggling closer into Edward, the chill of his body seeping through my clothes to comfort me regardless of the shivers that prickled along my skin.

"She'll freeze like that, Edward." Alice's voice came ghosting out of the darkness, and I felt Edward shift slightly.

"You suggest I call one of _them_ over? That was such a good idea last time." Was I mistaking the self-mocking bitterness of his tone? I didn't think so, but what would put that in his voice? "Don't be ridiculous, Alice," he added after a moment, and I realized he was replying to something she had thought rather than spoken. "I don't – no, not that. It's not that." A longer silence, but I was too intrigued too interrupt. At last Edward spoke again, so softly I could barely hear him. "I guess I _am_ glad. Glad that he's gone, certainly. Glad that she didn't choose him. But you saw her, Alice," a note of anguish entered his voice, "you saw what that did to her. I saw what she was like when…he was there for her when none of us were. He did that for her."

There was a short pause, while my mind sluggishly tried to follow what the one-sided conversation was about. "I know," Edward spoke once more. "If there was some way…but I don't see how. This girl scares me, Alice," he admitted, and I felt my heart ache at the thought. "I'm scared that she's going to make me leave again. And this time…no, he wouldn't be here. But you can't see what's going to happen. How can you know?"

Quiet. Even the wind seemed to drop, the world so still that it was almost as though time had frozen to hold just the three of us together in a peace so tranquil that not even the sounds which normally filled the night broke it. Only my heartbeat, abnormally loud in the silence, could be heard, until Edward's soft voice floated on the air.

"Hear her heart beating," he whispered with a note of wonder in his voice. "Isn't it beautiful?"

I drifted back into unconsciousness with Alice's silver laugh ringing gently around us.

When I woke again, blinking my eyes open, the rest of the family had arrived, sitting round us on the outcrop talking in muted murmurs I could hardly hear. A full moon floated overhead, its hoary light intermittent as clouds scudded across its face and casting darting shadows over the clearing.

A shiver ran through my body, Edward's face instantly over mine so that his eyes, glowing darkly in the moonlight, met mine with a smile. "Awake?" I tried to nod, yawning, and turned my face into his chest instead, his low chuckle sending warmth rippling through me even through the iciness of his touch.

"How are you, Bella?" Esme sounded concerned, bringing a smile to my face at her motherly worry.

"Much better, thank you." I struggled to sit upright, Edward's hands keeping me close to his side where I felt safe. "How long have you been here?"

"A little while. It shouldn't be much longer now," she added with soft reassurance. "The pack is coming closer, so we assume that Carlisle and Sam are coming now." Her hand stroked softly once over my hair, the gesture tenderly soothing. "Don't worry, Bella. I'm sure it will all be fine."

"They're coming now." Rosalie spoke from a short distance away, her golden hair brighter than ever in the glow from the moon. "Emmett's been out scouting," she explained.

"Emmett! I told you to stay close," Esme chided gently.

The news sparked no sense of alarm in me, so I wasn't surprised to see Jasper sat quietly beside Alice on Edward's other side. He passed me an irresistible smile. "Sorry," he murmured unapologetically.

I couldn't help laughing, but it died away as all six vampires glanced up sharply towards the edge of the clearing on our left. Even Jasper, apparently, couldn't block out all of the trepidation I felt now. "They're all there." Edward lowered his lips to my ear. "They're all fine."

"Is Callie…?" I couldn't bring myself to finish the question, but Edward – my own Edward – knew what I was asking anyway.

"I brushed her mind and she didn't object too strongly," he told me quietly. "I couldn't get exactly what shape she's in right now, and I didn't want to search too deeply."

I squeezed his hand, wordlessly grateful.

"They're here," he whispered, unfolding gracefully to stand and helping me up with a hand so that I didn't fall. Around us, the others were also standing. There was a tautness in their stances that had me glancing up at Edward with a flash of worry, but he simply nodded his head away from them. "Look," he told me.

Across the clearing, dark shapes I initially mistook for shadows were emerging from the trees, much too large for any creature that might live normally in the forests. From this distance, they didn't seem too threatening, but I remembered what they looked like close up and felt sudden nerves seize me.

A wave of calm washed over me, and I glared at Jasper, who shrugged. I didn't have time to say anything, though, before Edward gently turned me to face the direction in which the others' heads had snapped.

I strained my eyes into the gloom for a long time, hearing the hiss of Edward's breath and knowing that he could see them. It took a while longer for me to pick out the shapes of the figures merging with the shadows, but at last I could see movement, spread out across the edge of the forest. Two large, hulking forms and a smaller one, gleaming white; but I couldn't see a fourth. My heart sunk in my chest.

"She's there, Bella," Edward assured me quietly. Even as he said it a pale flicker caught my eye and I turned, half afraid to look. "It's all right, Bella. I promise."


	8. All my fault

**A/N: So. I arrived home from school really early today after my French exam, and decided to briefly go and check my e-mails on the main computer (the laptop I work on doesn't have internet access) before getting down to some serious (haha) writing. Yes, I know, I've managed to half convince myself that it counts as revision. For English…proofreading…(cough)…**

**But hey. Three hours later, I suddenly realise that I've been – ooh, let's see – EVER SO SLIGHTLY distracted by none other than – what? Fanfiction! Reading and reviewing (yes, I review. I'm not a total hypocrite) other people's stories…which are great, by the way. It's just not getting on with mine. Anyway, here's some more I **_**did**_** manage to do… **

**Since I haven't said it for a while, I'll reiterate: **_**Twilight**_**, and the majority of the characters here, do not belong to me. The plot and one character (**_**cough**_**Callie**_**cough**_**if-you-haven't-got-it-yet…I know I'm a cynic) are all of my own devising.**

**Many secrets are about to be divulged…although I believe I may save a few for the next chapter. Enjoy…and please review! (sorry for the really long author's note…) xxx**

**Chapter 8**

The four moved slowly, far more slowly than was necessary as they came across the clearing in a line; far enough to show that they were definitely separate, but close enough that I could see they moved together. They were headed for the outcrop where I stood with the Cullens, each figure moving with a sinuous grace which was almost beautiful to watch.

The moon rode free from the clouds which had dampened its light so that I could see around me the vampires drawn up on either side of us, the huge werewolves in formation behind the four figures. They would all be there, I knew; Seth and Embry and Quil, and Jared and Paul…Sam and Leah sloping ahead of them. All there, but Jacob was missing. He'd left the pack, left Forks and disappeared. Billy had been distraught, I remembered. Jake had been missing for weeks now with no word or sign at all.

It was all my fault.

I found that I had turned my face into Edward's shoulder, afraid to look. Too frightened to see what form Callie was in, to see what she was. It was completely irrational, I knew, but that didn't stop the fear coursing through my blood like hot fire. I could sense that they were getting closer, but I couldn't bring myself to look, for some reason too terrified to see –

"Bella?"

Her voice. Callie's voice. One I had not expected to hear, the soft lilt of her words so unbelievably sweet that I was unable to open my eyes for a moment in fear that I was dreaming. Somehow, in just the short time since I had met her, Callie had become…I wasn't sure what she was, but I was fascinated by her, this strange, lonely little girl who had fought such an incredible internal battle to save my life.

"Bella," she murmured again, more hesitantly. "I'm sorry. I'm so –"

My eyes snapped open and I pulled myself from Edward's arms as firmly as I could. He refused to let go of my hand though, so one arm trailed behind me as I took a step forward. "Callie. Callie, you're all right. Thank goodness you're okay." I was vaguely aware that Carlisle had leapt up onto the outcrop easily and was talking to Esme in muted tones, that the massive wolf forms of Sam and Leah had retreated to join the rest of the pack at a safe distance, but I could only look at Callie. She was all right.

She was human too. Well, not exactly human, I guessed, but not currently werewolf. The perfect planes of her face were painted in silver, the bruising under her eyes gone completely leaving her all the more lovely.

She stared at me, that perfect mouth slightly open. "I…" She shook her hair. "You don't understand. I could have killed you. I almost made them go away forever."

"Everyone here _could_ kill me, Callie. You could have killed me, yeah. But I'm still alive." I couldn't help but smile at the amazement written across her face. "You were scared. I get that."

A flash of defiant pride had her chin tilting, mouth opening automatically deny my claim, but a second passed and she simply nodded. "I guess so." Her eyes drifted past me to where I knew Edward stood, widening slightly at his perfection. Jealousy stabbed me for an instant – how could Edward possibly resist this girl? – but it disappeared as his fingers tightened, ever so slightly, on mine. "I understand you didn't mean any harm. But stay out of my head."

Edward laughed. "Perhaps. On the condition that you stay out of mine."

Absolute relief cleared any remaining signs of wariness from Callie's face, and I could suddenly see the child she could be in her, innocent joy bubbling up in a giggle. "I'll think about it."

Edward stepped up to my side, his arm sliding around my waist. I glanced up at him to see a soft smile on his face, and felt a fresh flood of love for him, for his understanding. "May I ask you a question?"

She hesitated. "Do I have to answer if I don't want to?"

"It's a sort of yes-no question. It's not really hard, and not answering probably means yes."

Callie glanced uncertainly at me. The expression in her eyes suddenly reminded me so strongly of Jacob that I swallowed, but managed to nod. "You don't have to if you don't want to, Callie."

Her eyes flicked back to Edward.

"Are you hungry?" he asked her softly.

It was as though the world stilled. The voices of the others quietened, the low growls that had been drifting from among the pack hushed. Callie looked up at me, expression darkly unreadable. "Carlisle showed me where to hunt," she replied shortly after a pause. "Bella's safe." She shook her head sharply, shining waves of dark hair tumbling in disarray about her shoulders. "You think I'd be standing here if I was?" she asked angrily. "You think I'd do that on purpose?"

Edward was silent for a long moment. I wondered if he was remembering that he hungered for my blood every second he stood near me, if he was wondering that Callie's disgust at the thought of putting me in danger knowingly was justified. I could think of nothing to say, so instead I laid my head against his shoulder, wishing that he could see my thoughts and read how much I loved him.

The silence dragged on for what seemed an age, but it must have only been a few seconds later when Edward spoke. "Would you like to come up and meet my family, Callie?"

She stared at him. "Are you sure?"

Before Edward could reply, Alice leapt down lightly from the outcrop to land like a cat beside her. "I'm Alice. I'm really sorry about earlier, Callie." The dark haired vampire held out a hand. "I'm Edward's sister."

Callie took the proffered hand tentatively, a somewhat nervous smile lighting her beautiful face. "Carlisle told me about you."

Esme landed silently beside Alice, only slightly before Carlisle and Jasper. Emmett and Rosalie followed more slowly, but Edward waited a moment longer before carefully lifting me down. "Thank you, Edward," I whispered.

He gave me that lopsided smile as he shrugged, my heart melting. "I like her. She didn't kill you, and she doesn't smell like dog any more."

I studied Callie as she met the Cullens, obviously nervous despite the way I could see that she fitted in so perfectly. For the first time I noticed that she was wearing a shirt – Carlisle's, from the look of his bare chest, probably loaned after changing back into human form – which was massive on her, making her appear vulnerably small and so very, very young. Beside the Cullens now it was clear even in the darkness that her previous pallor had disappeared, and I wondered at it once more.

With his arm still around me, Edward stiffened. "Sam wants to talk to us." He spoke softly, but his family all turned. "He's just going to change."

Carlisle nodded, but I noticed that Callie shrank back slightly.

"It's fine, Callie," I reassured her. "He won't hurt you."

She gave a swallow, but nodded as the Cullens drew back to form a rough semicircle behind her, Edward and I at the centre as we waited. "Are you all right?" Edward murmured to me. "Are you warm enough?"

"Yes," I lied. Although I was cold, I knew that if I admitted it he would let go of me, and I didn't want that. Looking at Callie made me feel colder, dressed as she was just in Carlisle's shirt which came down to mid-thigh on skinny child's legs. She appeared so tiny and delicate compared with the massive, muscled figure who loped across the field towards us.

Sam was wearing the cut-off pants most of the pack habitually wore, his broad chest bare so that each muscle was clearly defined in the silvery moonlight. Just as clear was the wariness written into his face, in the shadows which filled his dark eyes. Seeing him made me wonder suddenly how Emily was; I hadn't seen her for weeks now, not since –

Sam stopped a wide distance in front of us. "We need to talk," he spoke bluntly and quietly, so that I had to strain my ears to hear. "We have to discuss Callie."

"I'm right here," the girl muttered under her breath. Alice threw a glance at her, shook her head.

"This concerns all of us," Carlisle replied calmly. He turned to Callie. "I don't mean to sound rude, but we have to decide what to do with you." She nodded hesitantly as he glanced back to Sam. "If you'd come closer, there's no need for us all to speak across the field."

The wolves' growls echoed throughout the clearing, and I could sense their suspicion as the tension in the air increased palpably. "Unless you're scared to face us," Emmett murmured.

Before any of the wolves could react, Esme's voice rang out. "If you can't be civil, Emmett, you can go back to the house right now. This isn't about your desire for a fight."

Sam moved closer, his nostrils flaring slightly at, I supposed, the scent of the vampires. The circle shifted to include him, Edward keeping a firm hold on me to keep me as far away from Sam as possible. I glanced up at him in irritation, but he wasn't looking at me so I settled for sulking. We stood there for one awkward moment, before Carlisle gracefully sunk to the ground to sit cross legged, Edward mimicking him almost simultaneously. I landed next to him awkwardly, the others following suit with varying degrees of acceptance and reluctance; Rosalie in particular seemed unwilling, from her expression, to sit on the damp ground, but she did so. Although Sam sat too, he still towered over the rest of us, looking perfectly at ease despite the oddity of the situation. Callie, too, folded her skinny legs with that innate grace I had seen before, and I noticed for the first time that she was seated between Sam and Carlisle. No-Man's Land, I thought. Switzerland, neutral territory between the two parties which would so shortly, perhaps, be at war. Because of me.

Silence, startlingly loud, hung in the air, and I was grateful for Edward's closeness. The restrained tension terrified me; the potential for violence was horrifying.

"Callie, I think it's time for some answers." Carlisle's tone was calm, but there was a note of steel behind it that would not accept no. The girl looked up at him with massive eyes, glanced towards Sam.

"I'll answer if I can," she replied at last.

"Thank you. Callie, where are you from?"

I saw the flicker of fear flash over Callie's face like lightning. "I was brought up in a state children's home, south of here." She swallowed nervously, a child in stance and expression. "I don't know exactly where, there were walls. I didn't go outside."

"Why did you run away?" Alice's voice came from the other side of the circle, soft but firm.

Callie's eyes darted towards her, but she didn't reply, merely shaking her head with lips pressed tightly together. I glanced up at Edward, knowing how frustrated he must be. Normally he would have picked the answer straight from the girl's mind, but he couldn't.

"I can't tell you," she cried finally. "I can't." Her eyes narrowed, slid around the circle. "Whoever it is, stop it," she ordered.

"Jasper," Alice murmured. "Don't."

Sam shrugged. "How many times have you changed before?" he asked.

The question didn't wipe the horror from Callie's eyes. I saw Carlisle throw a glance towards Alice, wondered myself if the two matters were linked. "Once before," the girl whispered.

I felt Edward shift beside me. "When did you start wanting blood, Callie?"

The question dismayed me, the revulsion in the curl of Callie's lip as her fingers closed automatically around the other wrist shocked me. "Always," she replied shortly. "Ever since I can remember. Ever since I was tiny."

_Ever since she was tiny_, I thought. Which suggested that she had grown, had been small...been a vampire without _being_ a vampire.

"Have you any idea why?"

"No." Her pretty lips twisted with a kind of self-scorn. "Do you?"

"Personally, yes." Alice's voice was calmly matter-of-fact. "We were bitten by vampires, so we are as well. But you don't display many of the other things we do. You can do things we can't, so the explanation doesn't appear to stand for you."

"I'm a monster, then." The resignation in Callie's face horrified me.

"You're in good company, then," Sam spoke quietly, surprising me. His silence had made me almost forget him. "Because all of us – well, not Bella – we're all monsters here."

"No, you're not," I blurted. Everyone's faces turned to look at me, and I felt the blood rise to my cheeks. "You'd only be a monster if you didn't try to stop it," I added, flushing. "If you just went about hurting people without trying not to. You protect people, Sam. And you didn't kill me, Callie. We'd have heard in Forks if –" My words trailed off as the awfulness of the idea sunk in.

"I didn't kill anyone in Forks," Callie replied shortly. "I don't kill if I can help it." Her face tightened, the child vanishing. "It's so hard to think about it," she burst out, close to tears. "I hate it."

"Callie, if..." I swallowed. "If you'd let Edward read it...you wouldn't have to. Just once. You wouldn't have to think about it, and..." I stopped speaking at the expression on Callie's face.

**A/N: Okay, I know I don't generally leave notes at the **_**end**_** of chapters but...special case. Begging for more reviews...in particular I really want to know your thoughts about why Callie might have run away and why she was so scared about phasing... xxx**


	9. Remember to breathe

**A/N: Callie's story. My own precious character has a past all of her own that she might share with the others...if she can get past the idea of having our delightful Edward snooping in her mind. What secrets does our thirteen year-old blood-sucking shape-shifter have to hide? Please review... xxx**

**Chapter 9**

"Let him into my head?" There was disgust and horror, but that faded as she tilted her head to one side, considered. I held my breath. "I really wouldn't have to think about it? Wouldn't have to say?" she appealed, eyes seeking out Edward.

He shook his head. "I wouldn't see everything," he told her quietly. "Just...I could see what happened."

There was a long, long silence in which only the wind rustling through the treetops could be heard. My heart felt as though it wouldn't beat, until Edward shot me an irritated glance and I let out the long breath I had been holding with an apologetic smile that I couldn't quite force into my eyes.

"All right." The quiet had seemed so endless that Callie's words came almost as a surprise to me. She took a deep breath. "All right, you can do it. But only once."

Edward nodded gravely. "Thank you." I waited during the short pause, wondering if anything was happening until I happened to glance at Callie's face and saw the utter disgust on her face. "I'm being as quick as possible," Edward murmured in a tight voice. "There's no need to think that."

For some reason, I had to laugh – quite possible hysterical but it was laughter nonetheless. Callie's eyes met mine and I read anger in them for a moment, before it slid away and was replaced with a tentative smile. "I'm sorry," I managed to gasp. "I don't know what's the matter with me."

"Bella," Emmett muttered. "Being Bella."

The smile spread shyly across Callie's face, lighting it with sudden amusement that showed the child she could have been, and it was almost as though I could watch her forget Edward's presence in her mind.

"Bella." I looked up in time to see Edward roll his eyes, felt a blush rise until his gaze met mine, smiling that lopsided smile I loved so much. But behind the smile was a note of pain that anyone else might have missed; pain and sorrow and absolute pity that I knew came only from seeing what must be the agony of Callie's past. I sought out his hand, threaded my fingers through his.

Callie must have noticed the way my smile vanished, because her own face immediately sobered. "Do I have to stay and listen?" she asked quietly. "If he could tell you..."

"Are you sure?" Esme looked unsurprised. "Do you want me to come with you?"

Callie shook her head. "No, I...no. I'll be fine."

"Be careful," Esme murmured, which struck me as faintly ridiculous. The clearing was full of vampires and werewolves; what could possibly harm her? Added to the fact that she herself was probably perfectly capable of dealing with most dangers, if anything dared to come close enough. But Esme's automatically motherly thought had an expression of surprise and sudden grief chasing each other over Callie's face; she'd lived in a children's home, I remembered. She wouldn't have a mother, and the thought pained me more than I would have thought. To not have Renée...as mother and friend and everything else that she was to me, was unimaginable.

"I'll be fine."

Every pair of eyes watched her, the small, slight girl in the oversized shirt who wandered off so forlornly but with a proud tilt to her chin. I noticed now just how thin she appeared, almost gaunt. Under that ingot moon, her skin was as white as porcelain, and looked just as fragile.

"She's going to leave," Edward spoke quietly, "if we don't accept her, one way or another."

"She can't." Esme sounded decided. "She's a child. I will not have her wandering around by herself." She glanced at her husband. "She's not exactly a vampire, Carlisle, but she's near enough. Unless she wants to join the pack," she conceded with a nod to Sam.

"She might not be accepted by the whole," Sam told them bluntly. "She might not accept."

Edward nodded. "She can't bear for others to see what she's done." I drew back slightly so that I could watch his face, beautiful eyes filled with an aching sadness I could not remember seeing there before. I wanted to soothe it away, but I knew that he would not accept my sympathy for it. It was Callie's pain, Callie's horror. The thought that her short life could appall Edward had my heart skipping a beat as he drew my hand back into his.

"Tell us," Alice urged gently. Her eyes skipped over to the girl who stood against the darkness like a pale flame.

"She can't remember her earliest years," Edward begun. "She knows only what she was told; that she was left as a newborn baby on the doorstep of a holiday cabin, taken to the police station and subsequently placed in a children's home. She was there for four years, before being moved to an isolated home for problem children." He closed his eyes, and I knew he was picturing it as Callie had shown him. "Concrete walls, and barred windows, and dormitories which housed ten children each. All different ages, but she was the youngest by five years. She was taken there because she kept biting the others around her. They hadn't been able to restrain her, hadn't been able to stop her. She hadn't been able to stop herself."

Nobody moved; no-one made a sound. Only Edward lifted my hand to his face, rubbed it softly over his cheek. I could almost feel the pain radiating from his cool skin, and my heart ached for him, ached for her.

"She was learning to control the people around her, so it wasn't too bad most of the time. She taught herself to resist the blood over time, but they remembered. And when she was eight, a new doctor came to the home."

"Doctor Osborne," Alice breathed.

The name sent a flicker of fear through me as I recalled the absolute terror which had sprung into Callie's eyes as she had spoken the name. Edward simply nodded.

"Doctor Osborne," he hissed. "He was...he must have been some sort of fanatic. The other children were terrified of him, but Callie became his pet project. He believed she was the embodiment of evil, a devil and a freak. Because she craved blood, and because she was so strong. He..." Edward swallowed, eyes closed tightly, the anger in his face making my breath catch in my throat.

"Edward," I whispered, and he opened his eyes to meet mine, held them as he continued to speak.

"He said he had to examine her. She doesn't – can't or won't – remember what happened, but he was particularly fascinated by the way she healed so quickly." What had he done to her? Edward avoided my gaze, so I guessed he knew more than he was willing to say. More than he wanted me to know. I glanced instead around the circle, usually calm faces twisted with revulsion and horror. Sam was fighting to keep his face still, fighting to keep his emotions in check, but fury boiled in his eyes.

"The doctor made notes over the years – four years – about her. Half convinced her that if she tried to escape she would be judged, live in hell forever. After considerable experimentation –" Edward's lips twisted in half-snarl, half-sneer "– he invited some...like-minded friends over to the home. They gathered in the room where he held her, he made a speech..."

Absolute silence. The grass whispered, shadows flooding over Edward's face as clouds covered the moon, but I didn't need to see his face to know the expression on it.

"That was the first time she changed. The next thing she remembers is people banging on the door as she was crouching on the floor in pools of their blood. Wondering why they never came when she was screaming."

I was barely aware of the tears streaming down my cheeks. I could only imagine the atrocities Callie had experienced, four years of the stuff of horror movies. Too terrified to run away until she was pushed to murder, reduced literally to the state of an animal by what she had suffered. She had lived a nightmare for her whole life, and yet she was still trying to trust.

"What is she?" Alice whispered. "What is she, Edward?"

He shook his head slowly. "She doesn't know," he replied after a pause. "She only knows what she can do. She's like...a mixture, parts of both and somehow neither. "She's..." he turned to Carlisle with a frown. "Is it possible, that she's...hypothetically," he continued carefully. "Hypothetically, if a...a werewolf was bitten before she began to change. There wouldn't be the same resistance, but the venom..."

The expression on Carlisle's face was all the answer I needed.

"You think it's possible?" Rosalie murmured disbelievingly. "You think she's...?"

"It would explain why she can change." Sam spoke quietly but with the certainty that came with authority in his voice. "It would explain a lot."

"What are we going to do?" Alice's frustration at not being able to see was obvious. "What are we going to do with her?"

"She's staying close," Esme spoke firmly as Emmett added simultaneously, "She can't stay near the humans."

"She has to have somebody – one of us – near her," Jasper spoke for the first time.

"She can stay with us," Esme volunteered, but Carlisle shook his head.

"Not practical," he told her. "She needs food, and she'll have to change."

"I'm not having her near Emily." Sam's tone brooked no argument, and I couldn't help but agree, however reluctantly. Callie was volatile; besides, we couldn't be sure she would be happy down in La Push. If she counted as a vampire.

"Would she be accepted by the pack?" Alice asked.

Sam shrugged. "She wouldn't let me into her mind when she was changed, I don't know if she can. I don't know, honestly, if she could cope with being with us all the time. If the pack could handle it."

"Would...does she count as enough of a vampire to violate the treaty if she went into La Push?" I raised the question tentatively, but sudden silence fell. Sam and Carlisle eyes each other warily.

"She's part of both," Carlisle ventured.

Sam appeared to consider it for a long moment, so long that I found myself holding my breath. "Bella," Edward murmured disapprovingly, "please stop doing that." I let it out with an apologetic glance up at him.

"We'd allow Callie over the boundary," Sam conceded at last. "I can't guarantee that she'll be accepted into the pack – if she can – but she'll have to be taught things."

"We need to help her too," Esme pointed out. "We may have to lengthen the truce until we're sure she's...safe. Maybe indefinitely."

I forced myself to breathe normally, even though my heart felt as though it had leapt into my throat and was constricting the flow of air. I waited anxiously to see if Sam would accept the truce; if he did, then perhaps there wouldn't be a war. Yet, I forced myself to add, seeing the somewhat sulky expression in Emmett's eyes.

Sam let out a long breath. "Truce," he agreed. "For Callie. Until she's in control of herself and then..." His dark eyes flickered over the Cullens one by one, and it gave me an odd little thrill to notice that his eyes rested on me for a second, accepting me as part of that family. Soon I would be, I reminded myself, and felt suddenly sick. "Then we'll have to renegotiate."

**A/N: Please review and let me know what you think! It doesn't take long...**

**Ooh, by the way, go check out my other 'story'...under 'Edward's poem', it's actually a collection of (surprise surprise) poems which currently stands at three; Edward's Poem, Bella's Lament and the most recent (updated today), Rose. Please go read and review them for me! xxx**


	10. So much pain

**A/N: Thanks to everybody who's reviewed! (I use 'everybody' in the loosest sense of the word – thank you to those who HAVE reviewed...) It would be really nice to know what the rest of you think about my story too...?  
**

**Anyway, this is a fairly short chapter – sorry! I keep getting distracted at the moment with reading and drawing and exams...and I've just realized that if (ideally) I want to finish this story by the time **_**Breaking Dawn**_** comes out, I haven't got that long and I'm going away for a week sometime – aargh! With a friend, incidentally, who didn't like **_**Twilight**_** (I don't know why she's still my friend either). Although that was because she couldn't get over the fact that Edward's over a hundred...serious cold shoulder for weeks! Well, not quite, but you know what I mean.**

**Sorry for babbling...here's the chapter. Hope you like it, and please leave me more reviews! Writing in fear of Edward-stealing ninjas...xxx**

**Chapter 10**

I felt the smile spread across my face. A truce between the Cullens and the werewolves! It took considerable strength of will, and I congratulated myself on it, not to leap up and do a little dance of joy. "That still doesn't solve the problem of where she's going to stay," Alice pointed out. My happiness wavered instantly.

Edward was the one who broke the pause, his voice quietly dangerous. "No," he growled. "She's not staying at Bella's house." It was clear from his tone that there would be no argument.

Another silence. Then – "I've had an idea." Sam glanced around the circle. "I don't know how it would work, but it's the only thing I can think of..."

Edward nodded slowly. "Somebody not directly involved but who knows what's going on," he murmured. "You'd be near all the time...Carlisle's been down as well. I think..."

Maybe I was missing something, but the other Cullens nodded. "That's probably the best bet," Carlisle admitted. "If he agrees."

"He will if I ask him to." I doubted that anyone would even think of possibly defying Sam, his massive muscles clearly outlined in his chest and arms.

"If you're sure..." Alice sounded dubious, but the others nodded, Rosalie in particular obviously relieved by the decision they'd apparently come to. I wondered if she was perhaps jealous of Callie, if it was as clear to her as it was to me that the girl was already gorgeous and bound to become a greater threat to Rosalie's uncontested beauty as she matured.

"It's the best option," Jasper soothed Alice. "Edward, how safe...?"

"She's not about to bite anyone else any time soon," Edward assured him. Perhaps I imagined the sudden relaxing of Sam's shoulders, but maybe I didn't, and I still wasn't certain who they were talking about. "She'd rather –" He glanced quickly at me, stopped talking, but I knew what he'd been about to say and couldn't suppress the shudder at the memory.

"He'll be fine." Sam sounded more certain after Edward's assurance. "We'll be there to keep watch, anyway."

"Who are you talking about?" I demanded. "Do you have to be so cryptic?"

"Billy Black," Emmett told me, eyes laughing at my ignorance. "Couldn't you guess?" My heart slid into my stomach.

"Billy?" I breathed. "But..." But I couldn't think of any objection. Except that he was Jacob's father. I knew that he would be safe, that they'd look after him, but still…I had to trust them. I had to believe in Callie. I jumped to my feet. "I'll go and get Callie," I offered.

Edward and Carlisle exchanged quick glances. "I'll come with you." Edward unfolded himself gracefully, took my hand in his as we began to walk towards the pale figure of the girl.

"I'm perfectly capable, Edward," I told him crossly as soon as I thought we were at a reasonably safe distance from his family.

"I know you are," he replied in a muted tone. "It's her I'm not entirely sure about."

I glanced up at him helplessly, saw the pain written across his face he had tried to hide before and stopped. "Edward," I breathed, stepped close to him so that his arms came up around me. I rested my cheek against his chest, marveling at the coolness that came through his clothes. He ran his hands up my cheeks to my hair, lowered his forehead to mine.

"So much pain," he whispered. "She tried to hide some of it, but it leaked through in every memory. She's just a child, Bella. So young."

I felt tears prick my eyes, for her but mostly for him and what he had done for me. "I love you, Edward."

He opened his mouth, but before any words came out he suddenly stiffened, head snapping up. "Edward, what –"

Just as quickly he relaxed, one arm drawing me into his side. "It's all right, Callie." He spoke softly, but I knew even that volume was for my benefit only. "Come on out."

She crept forward out of the shadows, the wind teasing her shirt so that it billowed around her slight form like a ghostly nimbus. Her skin was painted a shimmering gold and silver in the moonlight, eyes deep black pits; wells that had had so much pain poured into them they were like darks voids. She moved with an aching grace, but that could not veil the taut wariness in each single movement, as though she was preparing to turn and run at any moment.

None of us spoke for what seemed a very long time.

Callie was the first to move, breaking the stillness as she let her head hang down in hopelessness. "It's all right," I heard her say. "I'll go. I never really thought –"

"What do you mean?" I took an unconscious step towards her, my hand reaching out to hers. "Where are you going?"

The girl drew back, even as Edward's hand closed on mine from behind, tensed as though to pull me back to his side.

"Why would you think of leaving?" I pleaded of her. "We want you to stay, Callie."

Those deep, dark eyes lifted to mine, and I was sure I could detect a flicker of incredulity in them. "You...you _want_ me to stay?" she asked disbelievingly. "You'd want...whatever I am to be here?"

I took hold of her unresisting hand, for now no warmer or colder than a normal human's, tried for a smile even though my heart was breaking at her absolute sudden vulnerability. "We want you here," I repeated firmly. "Please stay, Callie."

Her eyes flicked between us in indecision. I glanced up at Edward, my eyes pleading him to say something, anything, that would convince her to stay, but he remained silent for a very long time.

"Please stay," I begged her again, and this time Edward's words added to mine, the sweetness of his voice melting my heart.

"Stay, Callie," he murmured. "We do want you here." She hesitated only a moment longer before nodding, a shy smile breaking out across her lips at the cry of delight that escaped my lips.

"Thank you, Callie!"

She shook her head, sparkles of moonlight illuminating the trickles of tears which, to my horror, flowed freely down her cheeks. "No, don't. Please don't. Because sooner or later you're going to get fed up with me and want me to go away again –"

"Callie." Edward's voice was firm, no nonsense, but still held that unutterable gentleness so few people besides me knew existed within him. "Callie, that's not going to happen."

"Why would you think so?" I asked, upset.

Her black eyes lifted to meet mine. "Because it always has before," she whispered. "I'm a monster. I –"

"Don't you _dare_," and my voice shook with a rage that surprised me even as I said it, "Don't you _dare_ ever call yourself a monster again. You're not, Callie. You're not a monster."

She looked up at me through her eyelashes in a childlike action that dispelled all of her former wariness and self-sufficiency.

"Callie," Edward began softly. "There is no way we're letting you wander off into the forest by yourself now. After taking you in, we're not going to turn you away again, Callie. You're safe here, I promise."

Callie's eyes flickered once more to mine, so that I saw the moment in which she made her decision. I still didn't anticipate the tears, though, that streamed down her cheeks in rivers as the little girl who nobody had ever cared for stumbled forward, face crumpling, into my surprised arms.

My eyes met Edward's over her head, and for a fraction of a second I thought I saw an unbearable sadness in them, a sorrow that had my heart constricting. But what sent a wave of anguish sweeping through me was that Edward wasn't looking at Callie; his gaze was fixed on me, that grief flaring in them for a moment before he turned his head aside.

And I think that my heart stopped as I thought of what this girl might mean for the Cullens and the pack, for all of us involved in this crazy situation.

**A/N: Please review with any questions/comments/suggestions so I can make it better...I know what's going on but it might not be so obvious to anybody not writing it, I don't know! xxx**


	11. Don't say it's nothing

**A/N: Since I haven't said it for a while, I'll repeat: I do not own any of these characters beside Callie, and I don't own Twilight either. Unfortunately.**

**Please read and review...if any of you were confused about why Edward was sad in the last chapter, all will be revealed very shortly (i.e. here). Enjoy! And please review... xxx :)**

**Chapter 11**

My head slipped down onto Edward's shoulder, his arms cradling me as he ran. The smoothness of the journey lulled me towards sleep, my eyelids heavier, it seemed, than they had ever been before.

But still I resisted sleep. There was an odd ache in my chest, a queer mixture of fear and anxiety that reminded me of something. It struck me like a slap to the face as Edward came to an abrupt halt in front of the Cullens' house what that something was.

When Edward had been gone – the aching hole in my chest. I felt sick.

I didn't say a word as Edward set me down inside the house, following him silently upstairs. As soon as he closed the door of his room behind us, though, he turned to me with those glorious golden eyes filled with worry. "Bella, what's the matter?" he asked, concern clear in his voice. "Are you all right?"

I leant my head against his smooth marble chest, slipping my arms around him and holding on tightly as though that would make the hole go away. He held on to me, burying his face into my hair, and we stood like that for what seemed a very long time.

"What's the matter, love?" he asked again at last, drawing back slightly. "You need to sleep, Bella. You haven't had enough rest." He touched my cheek, brushing one cold thumb beneath my eyes. "You're so pale."

"I guess so. I'm tired. And I'm worried about Callie, I hope she'll be okay..."

Edward took my face between his hands, fingers cool against my cheeks. "Bella. She'll be fine, Esme went with her. Billy Black's there, the pack will look after her. Nothing will happen to her, Bella."

"It's not that. I mean, yes I'm worried about her, but that's not..." I pushed at my hair with one hand, frustrated. "This isn't coming out right."

His eyes fixed on mine, filled with concern, Edward closed his fingers over my hand and brought it to his lips. "Tell me, love."

"Edward...you'd tell me if something was wrong, wouldn't you?"

He grew very still. "I don't understand, Bella. Of course I would." He pressed his lips to my knuckles. "Of course I would, Bella."

"Then why were you sad earlier?" Confusion, realization and grief flickered across his face in quick succession, only to be replaced with a careful blankness. He opened his mouth to reply, but I cut him off. "Edward. Don't say it's nothing."

He closed his mouth.

"It hurts, Edward!" I burst out at last. "Thinking that something's making you sad...that I've done something, I don't know..."

His arms were around me, stroking my hair as he drew me closer, whispering softly in my ear. "Bella, my love, don't. It doesn't matter. Bella, I love you." He pressed his lips to my neck, the chill of his touch soothing and electrifying at the same time. "Bella. I'm fine. We're fine."

Despite my fatigue and the intoxicating closeness of Edward's presence, I clung stubbornly to my point. "There was something wrong, Edward."

"Bella, really, I –" I stepped back, stood with hands on hips and cocked my head to one side. "That's not fair," he complained teasingly. I didn't say anything, and his face sobered. "All right, Bella. It's just...with Callie. You..." He shrugged, suddenly looking so helpless that my heart melted for him.

"Edward, it's all right." I rested my cheek against his chest, breathed in his sweet, heady scent.

"No." His cool fingers skimmed up my cheek and into my hair, so I reached up to cover his hand with my own as his beautiful gold eyes stared into mine. "No, Bella, it's not fair. Being with me...with Callie, you were amazing. Like...you'd be such a wonderful mother," he managed at last in a rush. I stared at him, speechless, as he hurried on, "I just wish..."

"I don't want children. I want you." Even as I said it, the memory of the two black-haired children – my children, Jacob's children – I'd imagined once crossed my mind, and I flushed guiltily, held onto Edward more tightly. It was true. I wanted him.

He smiled sadly. "I just wish they didn't have to be mutually exclusive, love."

"It doesn't matter. I don't _need_ to be a mother, Edward. But I'm going to be your wife." I held up my hand so that the ring glinted. "Remember? That's everything, Edward. It's everything."

A smile twitched at his lips, my favourite lop-sided smile that couldn't help but pull at the corners of my own mouth. He brought my hand to his lips, kissed my palm. "How could I forget? I love you, Bella."

"Good." I couldn't stop the cry of surprise that escaped me as he lifted me into his arms, carried me to the bed.

"Now go to sleep, Bella. It's nearly three in the morning." Without hesitation I lay down beside him, curling my body to his cold form, pillowed my head on his shoulder, and fell asleep with his scent swirling around me and into my dreams as he murmured my lullaby.

xox

Waking up at the Cullens' was always odd. No matter what time I came down – with Edward – there were none of the normal morning preparations, none of the usual smells and sounds of people getting up. They were already up, eternally awake, so to have me appearing, tousled and sleepy-eyed in their midst, was something they were entirely unused to. They fell into routine well enough, though, with Emmett – as ever – taking the big-brother-let's-tease-Bella role that I'd missed growing up as an only child. Lucky me.

This morning was no exception. "It's the bed monster!" he cried as soon as he saw me.

I glared. Sleeping too long, even more than not getting enough sleep, wasn't exactly conducive to a good mood, and I'd slept nearly eleven hours. "Very funny," I retorted. "Didn't you say you were going to be out today? Anywhere?"

He shrugged. "And miss an opportunity to tease you? Don't be ridiculous, Bella."

"Leave her alone, Emmett." Alice wandered through from the kitchen, carrying a mug of something steaming hot. "I got this for you, Bella. I hope it's all right." I took it gratefully, smiling my thanks as she turned to her brother, nodded.

"Sure," he replied to her unspoken question. "We'll be going soon. Bella, I'm going to have to go hunting again," he told me. "I won't go far...will you be all right?"

I nodded, ignoring the pang at the thought of being separated from him. "Sure. You've got to hunt. Besides, Charlie'd flip if he knew you were here too." I yawned. "When are you going?"

"No time like the present." I hadn't heard Jasper enter. "You ready, Edward, Emmett?"

"I'll see you later, Bella," Edward murmured as he lowered his lips to my forehead. "Take care."

"Sure, sure. Will do."

"Love you, Bella," he called back.

"'Love you, Bella,'" Emmett mimicked. Alice laughed a fraction of a second before I heard a solid thud from the direction of the door.

"He should have known that was going to happen," she chuckled. "I did."

I started to smile, but yawned again instead. "So, what are we doing today?"

"Going back to your house, where Angela is going to call about mid-afternoon-ish," she informed me. "Then afterwards I guess we're going to head on over to La Push, because I can't actually see what's going on." She made a face.

"We –" I gaped. "You as well? La Push?"

Alice laughed at my amazement. "We sorted all the details out last night, after you were asleep. Sam's graciously permitting us –" she couldn't quite help the scorn in her voice, "– to visit Callie at Billy's on the condition some of the pack are there too. And as long as nobody else is there, like Charlie."

"Charlie." I spun to face her, feeling the horror written in my expression. "Charlie! Alice, the house –"

"It's all right," she assured me calmly. "It's all sorted. Carlisle and I went over when you were asleep and cleaned up. Emily was there too."

"Emily...?" I felt like an idiot repeating everything she was saying, but my brain didn't seem quite capable of forming its own thoughts yet.

"She insisted on coming to help. Which was good, actually, because the stink of that place..." Alice wrinkled her nose. "And we had Sam standing guard, which didn't help, and some more of the pack patrolling outside. You should be so glad you can't smell what it's like in there."

I was unbelievably touched. "Alice, that was so sweet of you. You shouldn't have done it."

"Oh no? You think Charlie'd flip at knowing you'd stayed over here with Edward. How do you think he'd react if he got home to find blood everywhere?"

"Umm..." I couldn't really argue with that. But still, Alice and Carlisle clearing up blood? The thought made me shudder. "Thanks, Alice. And Emily too. Do you think I could drop by her house later to say thanks?"

"Of course." She cocked her head to one side. "We'd better get going if you want to be back at your house in time to catch Angela."

Of course, with Alice at the wheel – even in my truck, which she had graciously consented to drive having given me no choice – we were back home in practically no time at all, my fingers still aching from clinging onto the edge of the seat. "You're going to have to get used to this, Bella," Alice complained laughingly. "It's not like we'd crash, or anything."

"I'll have plenty of time to get used to it," I insisted stubbornly. "Just not yet. And while I'm still human, I don't want to get a ticket. From my dad, by the way, which wouldn't exactly be good since he's already not terribly happy with the whole wedding thing." I sighed, and sympathized. Alice had already flitted ahead to open the door – we really should find a better place to put that key – so I stepped through the doorway after her.

And gasped.

The room was clean, spotlessly so, far cleaner than I had ever seen it before in my life. I wandered through it, awestruck and utterly speechless. Every surface sparkled, the furniture bright as though brand-new. I had a sudden suspicion. "Wow. Alice, did you – ?"

She shook her head so that her black hair danced. "No. Well, not exactly." She sighed. "All right, a little bit. I had to get a couple of new cushions, because they were so stained. But that's it, just about. I think."

"Alice," I began to object, "it's great and all, but you can't –" But her face was blank, eyes expressionless. What was she seeing?

The girl shook her head, eyes refocusing on me, and there was a note of resigned amusement in her topaz eyes. "Change of plan, Bella. I think Callie's on her way over here now."

A sudden rapping on the front door had me jumping up, startled. Alice smiled sweetly.

"Angela's here, Bella."

I groaned. Great.

**A/N: Same as last chapter, please review with any questions/comments/suggestions so I can make it better... Also please go check out my newly updated 'Edward's Poem'...now has four whole sections (different poems) and it would be really nice if you could review that too...? Love me xxx**


	12. Forget I said anything

**A/N: I HAVE FINISHED EXAMS!! Which makes me a **_**very**_** happy bunny. And when I'm happy, what do I do? I sing. And write...**

**So, last time we saw them Alice had just told Bella that Callie was on her way to the house...and Angela was at the door. Isn't that a great mix? (Feel the sarcasm in waves).**

**Thanks so much to everyone who's already reviewed...this one's for you. And the end of exams! To everybody else, please review!**

**Happy reading... xxx :D**

**Chapter 12**

"Bella! It's so good to see you!" Angela launched herself at me as soon as I opened the door. Despite my initial shock, I found myself hugging her back, amazed at how much I'd missed her. Ever since I came to Forks, I'd been seeing Angela and all the others practically every day; even though we did have holidays, now everything seemed different. We'd graduated; soon we'd all be moving away, and we wouldn't see each other for ages. I'd be married. I'd be a vampire.

"Wow, Ang. I missed you too!" I hugged her again, savouring what could be one of the last moments I would ever have with her without wanting to kill her. _Wow,_ I thought to myself again. _Pessimism._

"I know it's ridiculous, it's just like a normal holiday except we've finished school forever – oh hi, Alice! I didn't see you there." I tried not to wince as Angela threw her arms about Alice, but the little vampire seemed to take it in stride.

"Angela! It's great to see you too, how are things?"

"All right, but I'm bored to tears at the moment because Ben's parents took him away for the week and Jess is being – well, Jess. Hey, we should go shopping sometime!"

I groaned, but Alice got there first. "That'd be brilliant, Ang!"

"You don't want to go shopping with Alice," I interrupted quickly. "It's…" Alice turned her sweet, pixie face on me and I sighed. "All right. I'll come."

Alice and Angela, squealing together in joy at the prospect of shopping, were terrifying, so it was almost a relief when the knock on the door allowed me brief escape. "I'll get it."

"I'm already there!" Alice darted across the room – faster than me even when she was going at 'human' pace – and pulled the front door open.

I'd forgotten Callie was coming, and seeing her felt the bottom drop out of my stomach. Callie and Angela. In the same room, at the same time. Wasn't this going to be fun?

"Hi Alice! Hi, Bella! Hey, I was wondering, do you have any sugar in the house? Billy doesn't stock any sweet stuff, and I'm starving – not like that, I'm not going to try and attack you again because Carlisle took me hunting, but –" She stopped dead as she saw Angela, whose mouth had dropped open.

The girl's words ran through my head again. _I'm not going to try and attack you again…Carlisle took me hunting…attack you…_Time seemed to slow as I turned to see the shock and disbelief in Angela's eyes.

"Hunting? Attack Bella? What's going on, Bella? Who –"

I opened my mouth, no words coming out as Alice took a step forward. The damage had already been done, but she still had a bright smile on her face.

"Angela, it's not –"

Callie muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like a curse. "Forget I said anything," she commanded. And Angela's face went blank.

My friend blinked once, twice, confusion flickering across her face, only to be replaced a moment later by a warm smile. "Hi," she greeted Callie cheerfully, as though the girl hadn't said anything at all – and I realised that, to her, Callie hadn't. "I'm Angela."

"Pleased to meet you," Callie murmured. "I'm Callie."

My eyes met Alice's, and for the first time I saw surprise written across her pretty face.

"Are you new in Forks?" Angela continued kindly, obviously thinking the subdued expression on Callie's face was due to shyness. "When did you arrive?"

"Yesterday. I'm –" A long pause, as Callie glanced at me for help. I was still frozen. What could I say? I knew I was a terrible liar. Edward had told me enough times.

"She's a distant relative of a friend." Alice saved us by stepping in. "She's staying with Billy Black on the reservation, aren't you, Callie?"

The girl stared at her for a moment, nodded mutely.

"Really? How long are you staying for? Will you be here for the wedding?" I hoped desperately that Angela hadn't caught the puzzled glance Callie threw towards Alice and I.

"We hope so," I replied quickly. "After all, it's only another….few…weeks…" I gulped.

"It's coming very quickly, isn't it?" Alice shot me an amused grin at my discomfort, and I glowered. "I can't wait!"

Angela sighed. "You're so lucky, Bella," she told me with a note of wistfulness I couldn't quite understand. "Lucky to be getting married so soon when you know you and Edward are going to spend the rest of your lives together anyway. It's so romantic."

Wow. I blinked. I'd never quite looked at it that way. Why were all my friends coming down with the romantics? Edward had practically had to force me into marriage, while it looked like Angela would have been thrilled if – probably – Ben proposed. She didn't know the half of the 'spending the rest of our lives together' thing, though. Edward and I had plenty of time.

"I guess," I murmured, unconvinced.

Alice's face was full of exasperation and scorn as she rolled her eyes at me. Then she suddenly seemed to brighten up. "Hey, why don't we all go into Port Angeles? We haven't had lunch yet, I'm starving."

I barely managed not to snort with disbelief. "Yeah right, Alice. You just want to go shopping."

"What a great suggestion, Bella!" Her pixie face shone with blinding innocence as she turned to Angela. "You up for it, Ang?"

"Of course. Unless you don't want to, Bella…?"

I shrugged. Who am I to ruin Alice's fun? She wouldn't listen to me, and then she'd put on the little-girl face that made me give in anyway. Besides, if Callie and Ang were there as well maybe it wouldn't be as bad. "Callie needs a whole load of new clothes," I mentioned mildly. "You probably don't need me at all." I said the last without a great deal of hope.

Sure enough, we were all seated in Angela's car within five minutes, Callie looking oddly terrified at Alice's promise to get her an entire new wardrobe. Much as I liked Callie, much as I wanted to look after her, there was no way I was going to get her out of this, so I decided to just sit back and enjoy not being Alice's sole focus for one afternoon.

Angela drove, and Alice opted to ride shotgun, so I was able to finally talk to Callie once we were on the road with the radio playing. "Just yell at us if you need anything," was Alice's warning. "Callie, if you start feeling sick –"

"I'll be fine," Callie murmured. She was being awfully quiet, so as soon as I was almost certain Angela wasn't listening I leaned closer to her.

"Are you okay?" I asked. "How was Billy?"

"I'm all right," she replied softly. "I slept for ages. But Bella, do you know anybody called Deandra?"

"I haven't lived here for very long, Callie, but no." I frowned. "What's the matter?" The girl's face was troubled, and she looked to be almost on the verge of tears at my admission. "Callie, what's wrong?"

"When he opened the door last night to me, Billy took one look at me and went all pale," Callie whispered fearfully. "Then he said –"

"You're staying with Billy Black, Callie?" Angela glanced back in the mirror at us. "So where are you from?"

"South. I'm a distant – very distant – relative of the Blacks. I came here looking for family after my parents died." I was amazed at the smoothness with which Callie lied.

"Oh. I'm sorry." I've always found death a brilliant conversation stopper. This case was no different, and we drove on with only the radio playing, more quietly now so I couldn't even find out from Callie what Billy had said.

What could he have said to upset Callie like this? Maybe he'd said he didn't want her staying there; but just opening the door? I leant back in the seat with my eyes closed, trying to ward off the headache that was building behind my eyes. I wanted Edward, and found my mind drifting.

At last, after what seemed an interminable length of time, the engine died. "We're here," Angela announced. I opened my eyes slowly, suddenly wishing that I'd stayed at home after all. I wasn't in the mood for being dragged around shop after shop, arguing with Alice as she pressed clothes on me, insisted on buying just _one_ more jacket, or dress, or pair of shoes. Callie, too, seemed less than eager as we both trailed after a bouncing little vampire and an equally cheerful human girl.

"We'll go to get something to eat first," Alice announced, darting off in one direction. The small café she led us into was fairly busy, old-fashioned with plaid tablecloths and a glass-fronted case of cakes. Callie's eyes widened, and I realised suddenly that she had probably never seen anything like it before. "Let's get that table in the corner."

I glanced dully in the direction in which Alice pointed, and felt my heart flutter.

His bronze hair was carelessly tousled, and even in the shadows those topaz eyes sparkled, seeking out mine with a crooked smile that stopped the breath in my throat. Edward half rose with that heart-stopping grace that was so familiar to me, and for a moment it was as if all the noise in the room – the soft music, the chatter of voices – stopped. The world froze for us.

"Surprise!" Alice squealed. Sound and movement flooded back in, but I still couldn't tear my eyes away from the angel across the room. My angel, I reminded myself. In a few weeks, mine forever, and just then the heavy diamond on my finger didn't seem to be such a weight.

I couldn't speak, couldn't tear my eyes away from him. The distance between us closed in an eye-blink – had I moved? – and then he was there, that intoxicating scent filling my world and making me forget all of my cares. Edward's golden eyes bore down into mine, so much lighter than before that my leapt. He wouldn't be leaving me any time soon.

"Bella," he breathed. I marvelled at how his voice could make my name sound so beautiful, how by simply being there he could make everything all right with the world – "Bella?" My angel sounded puzzled.

"Hmm?" I beamed up at him.

"Bella," he chided me softly, "You're not concentrating." With one cool hand he reached out, tilted my chin upwards, and crushed his lips to mine, right there in front of everybody in the café. When he finally let go of me, I stumbled back, gasping.

"Sure, and _that's_ going to make me concentrate," I mumbled.

"I thought so," he smiled, drawing me closer so that I could rest my cheek against his chest, ignoring the fact that we were in full view of everyone. "I missed you, love."

I managed a breathless laugh. "It's ridiculous, I haven't seen you for almost two hours and I feel you've been gone for weeks." His eyes smiled into mine for a moment longer, before flickering up. I turned with him to smile at a radiant Alice. "Thanks, Alice," I murmured, knowing that she would hear. The flash of joy and smugness as she led Angela and Callie over to us proved me right.

"I'm afraid I haven't fed her yet today," Alice told Edward. Her phrasing was more than a little insulting, but I was too happy to care. "Angela and I are taking Callie shopping. We'll meet you later?"

"Sure. Hi, Ang. Hi Callie." The barest flicker of a frown clouded Edward's face for a fraction of a moment, before those perfect features returned to their former impassive perfection. "Callie, don't let Alice drive you crazy. And make sure she remembers to feed you too." Those gorgeous lips – I wanted to kiss him again, whether anyone else was there or not – quirked in a smile.

"Sugar," Alice decided, and I remembered Callie's announcement as she first came through my front door. "We'll drop by and get some doughnuts, or something."

Angela groaned. "I can't," she lamented. "I want to fit into the dress I got for the wedding. We'll see you later, Bella. Bye, Edward."

"Don't look so terrified," Edward whispered as we watched them leave, his breath tickling my ear. "Anyone would think you didn't want to marry me."

"I don't know where you got that impression," I replied archly.

**A/N: Aaw, got to love Edward and Bella! Please drop me a review… xxx**


	13. Why won't it stop?

**A/N: ****Werewolves, vampires and humans on a shopping trip together...well, it's always proved a good mixture before (cough). But anyway, here are Edward and Bella again. Got to love them! Please review! xxx**

**Disclaimer: I say it when I remember. **_**Twilight**_** – the characters and plot of – do not belong to me. **

**Chapter 13**

Edward had already ordered, and the waitress brought a plate over as we sat down at his table. Although she set it before him – shooting him coy glances from under her eyelashes, which made me think she'd probably been in the kitchen when Edward 'greeted' me – as soon as she was gone Edward pushed the food towards me. "Eat," he urged. "You barely had anything yesterday, and nothing yet today." I didn't need prompting twice, and he watched me with that half-smile.

"Bella," he asked me at last, "what was Callie telling you in the car?"

"Oh." I swallowed, felt all my previous worry seep back in. "She was saying…when Billy opened the door last night, he went all pale…" A thought struck me. "Edward, have you any idea who Deandra is?"

"No, I don't. Is that all Callie said? Because she wanted me to explain." He frowned, shook his head. "She actually opened her mind to me, and let me see what happened."

I couldn't help but smile at Callie's growing trust in us, proud and glad that she was starting to let us – and Edward in particular – in already. "She's a sweet girl."

"Yes." He laughed, with just a hint of scorn and grimness that made me wonder just what else he'd seen in Callie's mind. "She's a regular sugar cube. But, as Callie remembers it, Billy opened the door – she's got the idea from somewhere that he would've slammed it in her face if Sam wasn't there – and went as pale as if he'd seen a ghost. Then he went and exclaimed 'Deandra', as if he thought _she_ was Callie. He tried to cover himself afterwards, but…" he left it hanging, the words dying away ominously. "Esme remembers it pretty much the same way," he admitted after a short pause.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Why did he always have to keep things from me? If he thought he was trying to protect me, couldn't he see by now that that wasn't going to work?

"I'm telling you now, love. But nobody in the family has ever heard of this Deandra before."

I didn't know what to say. Suddenly not hungry anymore, I toyed with the food on my plate, wondering if Edward would let me get away without eating it.

"She's started growing already, you know," he remarked abruptly. "She's slightly taller than yesterday. Maybe changing triggered it."

"Alice'll be thrilled," was all I could think of to say. "Permanent shopping partner."

Edward shot me an amused glance. "You're not wriggling out that easily, love. Until the wedding, you're still Alice's first priority."

"And there you go again. You had to remind me," I groaned. "Where did Callie get the clothes she was wearing today anyway? She didn't bring anything with her."

"Well, unless that delightful dress she's wearing belonged to your friend Jacob –" Edward couldn't quite help the snigger, and I glared at him, "– then I guess it was left by one of the Black girls. Or belongs to my own dear sister, as was suggested by the sneak peek I had into her mind."

"Very funny, Edward. I have an idea," I offered, serious again. "Why don't _we_ go drop off Callie at the reservation instead of Alice? Then you can read Billy's mind, find out who this Deandra is. And then we can drop by to see Emily so I can say thanks for cleaning the house."

Edward gazed at me balefully. "I guess so. But Sam's house?" He wrinkled his nose with distaste.

"I'm sure they'll be thrilled to smell you too," I replied tartly. "But I owe Emily, majorly. You saw the house. Don't look at me like that, Edward." His glorious golden eyes were fixed on me, and I could feel my heartbeat beginning to quicken.

"Like what?" An innocent smile lit his face as he reached across the table for my hand. "All right, we'll drop by. I really want to know who Deandra is." That heart-stopping smile spread, if possible, even more widely. "Eat your lunch, Bella."

Callie was quiet in the Volvo as we drove back to La Push. Edward had volunteered to take her home, so we had packed most of the shopping bags in the trunk while Alice set off with Angela. Edward had the radio on low, but I wasn't really listening as I watched Callie in the backseat via the wing mirrors.

She looked terribly small, hunched up in the seat and staring out of the windows at the countryside as it whizzed past. "Edward," I murmured warningly. "Please slow down." He flashed a grin across at me, and I hissed in a breath. "Eyes on the road, Edward, please." With a somewhat overdramatic sigh, he obliged and I went back to watching Callie.

Edward was, as usual, right; Callie had grown. Ridiculous as it sounds, in the less-than-twenty-four hours since I'd seen her she seemed to have lost a little of her gauntness, although perhaps that could have been the change of clothes. While before she'd been dressed in ragged, dirty garments that didn't fit her, Alice had provided her with a prettily flowing brown and blue dress with a subtle print that complemented her skin tone and –

"Bella, love, what's the matter?" Edward glanced at me with concern in his eyes as I shook my head violently from side to side.

"Alice's brainwashed me," I muttered. "I'm starting to think like her."

"God help the family." But I could hear the amusement in Edward's voice.

"Very funny, Edward." I glanced back at Callie. She still hadn't moved; those long-lashed eyes were slowly closing as her head tilted to rest against the seat, magnificent mass of blue-black hair cascading in silky waves over her shoulders. She was all little girl, and for a moment I couldn't help but think back to last night's conversation with Edward. The idea of my love being 'mutually exclusive', as he'd put it, had occurred to me before, but I'd never really stopped to think about it.

"I'm serious. I don't think the family could cope with two of you." He shuddered, and I shot him a furious sideways glance, at the same time oddly grateful that he'd distracted me from my thoughts.

"That's not –" He leant over, too fast for me to stop him and cut off my objection with a quick, sneaky kiss.

"You look so cute when you're indignant," he told me with the cutest, crooked grin on his face. How could I stay mad at him when he smiled at me like that?

"You –" I began, but Edward froze a moment before my ears registered the sound of Callie's voice from the backseat. "Edward…" I whispered, that single word filled with dread.

Callie cried out again, a heart-wrenching cry of pain and sorrow. "Don't!" she keened. "Don't!" Then a sob. "Why won't it stop? What have you done?"

"God." The word ripped itself from Edward's lips, and I could hear, see, _feel_ the hurt radiating off him in waves. "How could they? She's a child. Just a child."

I barely noticed as Edward pulled off the road, swerved into the opening of a track that led off the road and into the forest. I couldn't follow as he blurred out of the car, lost him for one horrible second until I heard the car door open behind me. I scrambled out myself, as fast as I could, and found Edward crouched down with the little girl cradled in his arms.

"Callie, wake up," he murmured. "It's a dream. Just a dream. You're safe now." He glanced up at me, anguish in his eyes. "I don't know what to do."

That admission from him had my heart skipping a beat. Not so much that, probably for one of the first times in his life, he had no idea what to do, but for the absolute agony in his golden gaze, the fact that he cared so much for this little girl.

He was unbelievably perfect, and he was mine.

Unfortunately, I had as little idea of what to do as he did, so I simply knelt down beside them and wrapped my arms around them both. "Callie," I whispered. "We're here. We're here, Callie."

"Don't –" But the cry this time was quieter, fading. Her eyelashes fluttered once, twice, before massive, frightened eyes opened to flick over us. A flash of panic struck me, until I realized the pupils were bronze; she was safe, for now.

"Bella. Edward." Callie's arms clutched convulsively at us, clinging tightly as though she would never let go. "They were here. They were going to –"

"Nobody's going to hurt you, Callie. You're safe, I promise."

Those terrified eyes stared into mine for a long moment, before she nodded hesitantly. "Safe."

"We'll look after –" Edward stopped mid-sentence, his nostrils suddenly flaring. I, too, became suddenly aware of how Callie's skin was heating beneath my fingers.

"You have to let go of me." In a flicker of an eye, the scared child had gone and Callie was utterly calm. "I need to run…I want to be one my own."

Edward nodded, drew me back slightly. I could see the tension in his body, could read in it the instinct that told him to run, to grab me and get as far away from the werewolf as he possibly could; but he stayed. Stayed for me, and for Callie, and I felt a fresh flood of love for him.

"Will you be all right, Callie? Do you know how to get back to Billy's?" I asked worriedly.

Callie and Edward exchanged glances, probably in exasperation at my ignorance but right then I didn't care. "I'll be fine, Bella," the girl replied.

"We'll tell Sam to –"

"No." Callie shook her head, dark hair flying. "I want to be on my own. I'll get back okay by myself, Bella," she added more gently.

"All right." I was still concerned, but there wasn't exactly anything I could do so I leaned into Edward's shoulder, his arm around me.

"One favour?" Callie was trembling now, her eyes dark in the struggle to control the change a while longer. "Will you take the clothes back to Alice? And tell her thank you. I don't want to ruin them."

"Absolutely."

"Thank you." And then she was gone, vanishing down the track into the forest.

"Edward…"

"She'll be fine, Bella." His arms slid around my waist to draw me closer, and I turned my face into his shoulder, feeling the chill of him pour through me. It was unnerving, terrifying, how much I loved him; spread through me, so that there were times I could have sworn love was pulsing from every part of me. What scared me right now, however, was the fear I felt for Callie. She'd lodged into my heart so quickly, like a little sister, and I couldn't bear the thought of her in pain, alone, frightened. The image of her as she had been only minutes before, had me shuddering. What memories could have prompted such a nightmare? I wondered to myself.

Edward's arms tightened around me. "She's got a way to go, but she'll pull through," he murmured softly. "We'll be here for her, and she'll be fine, eventually."

A few cars swept by; the wind stirred the trees, and somewhere several birds sang. We stood together, still as stone, with just the breeze tugging at our clothes, and it seemed as if time had slowed to hold us still in its eternal embrace. _Soon,_ I reminded myself.

The silence was abruptly broken by the distant howl of a wolf.

"We need to go and get her clothes," Edward breathed, but neither of us made any move to do so. We stood there an eternity longer in each other's arms, a strange half-way world between Forks and La Push, between past and future, between werewolf and vampire.

From the car, Edward's phone rang. I let go of him reluctantly as he went to answer it, but he came back to hold me as he spoke. "She's gone, yes. We are. Will you – all right. We'll see you later."

"That was…?"

"Alice," Edward told me. "She wanted to know why she could suddenly see us; where Callie had gone. We should be going, Bella." I nodded reluctantly, but he had already disappeared into the woods, only to return a moment later with a little bundle of clothes, neatly folded. "Come on, love."

We drove on to La Push, Callie's clothes in a forlorn heap in the back where she had been sitting. The werewolves met us at the border line, running alongside the Volvo but out of sight among the trees. I kept glancing back, as though checking that she still wasn't there. I was filled with unease that wasn't abated even by Edward's hand on mine.

Callie was gone. I had the strange feeling that we'd lost her.

**A/N: Please let me know what you think! Leave me a review…pretty pretty please! Thanks so so much to all those who have left me reviews already – it's so nice to see you seem to be enjoying my story! Lots of love to you guys xxx :)**


	14. All stirred up

**A/N: Somebody's gone missing…and if we trust Bella's sixth sense (haha), she's not coming back. So…read on!**

**Thanks for sticking with me so long…hope you're enjoying reading this as much as I like writing it. And review PLEASE! I had a massive response last chapter, which was brilliant, but it's my birthday (it actually is, I'm not just saying that) so give me a review for my birthday…? Make me happy! xxx**

**Ooh, also, for all those who've asked…this chapter we find out a little about Deandra…**

**Chapter 14**

"All right, what did you do with her, bloodsucker?" Paul towered over us, hands clenched into massive fists that had the tendons all along his arm standing out starkly.

"We didn't do anything to her, Paul," Edward snarled, eyes darkly dangerous. "Alice took her shopping. We were bringing her back here, she fell asleep and had a nightmare."

"She was talking in her sleep," I murmured, heart breaking at the memory. "Crying…and when we woke her she wanted to run. Wanted to be on her own…" My voice died away as I turned to Edward with frightened eyes. "She will come back, Edward? She'll come…?"

His golden eyes met mine, and they were filled with agony. "I don't know, Bella," he whispered. "I honestly don't know."

"We need to go and find her." Quil pushed himself up from the chair in the corner, seemed to grow so that he filled the room. "Bring her back."

"No."

We all turned to see Sam Uley in the doorway. "No," he repeated. "If she comes back, she'll do it of her own accord. Going out to find her won't help. She's more likely to run if we do that." His dark, angry eyes scanned the room. "No one is to change, understood? Nobody."

They nodded.

"Go find the others and tell them," Sam ordered. "No changing, and I mean it. She couldn't hear us before, but maybe…" The boys left quickly, and Sam turned to us. I couldn't read the expression in his eyes, but I clung on to Edward even more tightly. "Let us know if she turns up at your house." And then he was gone.

"He cares," Edward whispered wonderingly. "He's really worried about her. All he can think about is praying that she gets back safely." He pressed his cheek to the top of my head. "That little girl's really got us all stirred up, hasn't she?" he murmured.

"She's going to change everything," I breathed. And rejoiced at what it might mean for the pack and the Cullens.

My moment of happiness was over all too swiftly as Edward stiffened, turned with me to face the doorway just before Billy entered. The face of Charlie's friend was bleak as he surveyed us standing in his house together; his jaw tightened, and there was definitely something black in his already dark eyes. "Have you driven her off too?" he demanded bluntly.

His accusation left me speechless, immeasurably hurt as I opened my mouth to protest. Edward, however, obviously had different ideas as his arms held me even more closely to him. "Jacob's _decision_ to leave," and he put great emphasis on that one word, "wasn't prompted by Bella, Mr Black. We weren't chasing him out of town."

I felt tears prick my eyes. I knew it wasn't entirely true; if it hadn't been for us, Jacob would still be here. If I hadn't…if I'd done things differently, if I'd been – Edward seemed to know what I was thinking, because he gently lifted one of my hands to his lips. "It's not on you, Bella," he murmured. "We don't choose who we fall in love with."

"Obviously," Billy snorted. "Where's the girl?" he demanded again.

"_Callie_," and Edward put an even greater stress on her name, "wanted some time on her own. We're not her keepers, Mr Black; we're just looking after her." His voice grew colder, cold as ice, cold as the chill of his body beside me. "Speaking of looking after her, you gave her a very enthusiastic welcome yesterday." I _wish_ he wouldn't let sarcasm drip quite so heavily in his voice like that.

Something flickered in Billy's eyes.

"Who's Deandra, Billy?" Edward asked. "Because you've got Callie in a twist about it. Nobody likes coming somewhere new and being mistaken for somebody they've never heard of, and then not have it explained. There's more to it than a simple mistaken identity."

Billy's gaze flared. "Why do you even need to ask, bloodsucker?" he snarled.

I felt Edward shrug. "Fine. I was just being polite, but I guess I've got all I need now anyway. What are you doing about it? Ah," he nodded. "I see. Well, we won't – what were your exact thoughts? – taint your house anymore. Come on, Bella."

He took my hand and I tripped out after him, casting one helpless look back to Billy. I hated feeling I was on opposite sides to Charlie's friend, but there didn't seem to be anything I could do to reverse his animosity towards him, short of finding Jacob, flinging myself on him and renouncing Edward forever…

"Never happen, Billy," I muttered to myself.

"Hmm?" Edward glanced at me curiously, but I shook my head, face flushing as I realized I'd been talking to myself aloud. _Oops._

We'd already emptied the trunk of the shopping bags and taken them into the house. It had given me a jolt to discover that Callie was sleeping, temporarily, in Jacob's room; seeing all his things there, remembering him again… He was gone, and I missed him, but I was continuing. Life was going on; I could live without him. I clung more tightly onto Edward's hand as I sat in the car beside him. "She'll be all right, love," he assured me quietly.

I nodded. "Who's Deandra?" I asked, finally finding my voice as he pulled away from Billy's house.

Edward was silent for what seemed a very long time. "Deandra…Anderson? It was a bit muddled…" He frowned as he tried to make sense of the thoughts he'd taken from Billy. "My question stirred up a whole load of memories, it's a bit confused. As far as I can tell, Billy's wife knew her, worked with her. They went to her wedding, about twenty years ago? I think they knew her quite well, but then she moved away after getting married…"

We drove on in stillness for a while. "But what has she to do with Callie?" I wondered aloud.

Edward turned to me with tortured eyes – agony burning bright in them. "I saw his memory of her," he told me calmly, but I could see the battle it took for him to keep his words steady and trepidation seized my heart. "I saw her – pale, green eyes, reddish hair…" his voice trailed off. "But her face – God, Bella, it was Callie's. Callie's face. Completely wrong colouring, but she could be Callie's – twin…" The words died into absolute silence.

"Deandra disappeared," Edward told me matter-of-factly. "She disappeared, and her family moved to England."

"When?" I waited for his answer, my heart in my throat, but I think that I already knew.

"Thirteen years ago," he murmured.

Thoughts flashed through my mind in a whirlwind, too fast for me to grasp one and look at it properly. They spun round and round until I was almost dizzy from the impact of having too many things to consider in one moment. Eventually the swirling slowed, and I was able to think more clearly. "Thirteen – years?" He nodded. "Then –" Not a twin. But maybe – maybe – a mother. A mother who had disappeared; a family that had abandoned a child.

"We need to talk about this with Carlisle and the others," Edward added grimly. "And Sam. If we know where she came from…"

"Maybe we can find out what she is," I finished. Then I made the mistake of glancing at the speedometer, felt my stomach twist.

But for once I didn't complain.

xox

"So let me get this straight." Carlisle sat calmly composed on the sofa next to Esme. Emmett and Rosalie were still out, but the rest of the family had gathered to hear the news we brought; Alice in particular was especially distraught about Callie's disappearance, and was snuggled closely into Jasper's side with his arm around her.

"Callie had a nightmare and ran off on her own; Sam decided to let her be, has forbidden any of the pack to change because she wants to be on her own; Edward picked a fight with Billy –" that made Carlisle glower at his son again, "– and picked out of his brain the image of a woman who could possibly be Callie's mother. However, she disappeared thirteen years ago and the rest of the family is in England. Is that it?"

Edward nodded evenly. "Yes, pretty much. Apart from –"

"Getting there, Edward. Yes, Billy Black has decided to see if he can contact the family of a woman his wife worked with twenty years ago, who now possibly live in England, to ask them if they left a baby behind."

"Well – " Said like that, it sounded ridiculous and impossible.

"Assuming that they _did_ lose a baby, and want her back, presumably they'll be coming over here to see if she is theirs. But we don't have her at the moment, because she ran off."

"Um…"

"All right. Just making things clear." Carlisle glanced to my right. "Alice, can you – ?"

She shook her head morosely, spiky black hair bouncing. "Can't see a thing."

"All right. Well." He looked around the room at us. "I have a feeling this is going to be a long night, if she doesn't get back soon."

"Carlisle…" Esme laid one hand on her husband's arm.

"I'm sure she'll be all right." Edward spoke before his father could. "This is massive for her. It's…"

"Finding out that not everyone in the world wants to hurt you," Jasper murmured. "That there are places you can be, and people you can be with, where you don't constantly have to watch your back in case they're going to try and hurt you. Where it's not just you on your own fighting for survival; it's everyone around you as well, behind you and beside you and with you just because they care." He ducked his head, as though embarrassed, as we all stared at him. I knew that there was something akin to awe in my own face, awe and a terrible, aching compassion.

"It's massive," Jasper repeated. He lifted his gaze to each one of us. "It's everything."

All that afternoon and into the evening we waited; hours dragging by as we pretended not to be listening for the phone to ring, for a knock at the door. Restless, I stayed in the living room until Esme silently brought me a plate of food, until I had eaten and could bear the expectant silence no longer. Then Edward took me upstairs, and we waited some more, curled up on the couch together with music drifting softly from his speakers as the sun slipped down in the sky, sinking so slowly beyond the horizon so that darkness crept across the forests and into the room to cast depthless shadows.

It was night-time; and still Callie was out there, alone. Somewhere.

I protested weakly when Edward stood wordlessly, carried me to the bed, but had neither the strength nor the energy to fight him. Suddenly exhausted, despite having done nothing all day, I snuggled as close to him as possible, felt his arms around me and allowed myself to relax into his cool embrace. "Edward," I murmured.

His lips brushed against my forehead, smoothing out the creases of my frown. "You're worrying, Bella. She'll be safe, my love. She'll be fine."

"There's nobody there with her. She's on her own." A wave of sadness struck me. "She's always been alone."

"She knows we're here, now. And she'll come back, Bella."

"But what if –"

His lips sought out mine, silencing me as he stole my breath and my heartbeat. "No what ifs, my love." He kissed me again, until my lips twisted up unconsciously into a smile. "Sleep, Bella."

I sighed, held on to him tightly. "I love you."

"I love you too. More than you could possibly know." The words were replaced by a tune, a song as familiar as my own heartbeat. He hummed my lullaby to me, and I knew I was beaten, so I settled down in his arms and planned to wait for morning. I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep…

When I woke, it was lighter and the birds were singing. But Callie still hadn't come home.

**A/N: Isn't Jasper sweet? Anyway…**

**Happy birthday to me…happy birthday to me…I'm sixteen today, see if we can get a review for every year of my life…PLEASE REVIEW!! xxx**


	15. Close to running

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews and happy birthdays I got! I'm really pleased this is getting such a positive response…I guess I'll keep writing. So, chapter 15! Read on…and please leave me a review! xxx :)**

**Chapter 15**

Even though it was still fairly early, I refused to stay in bed any longer and stumbled downstairs – only to find that the house was practically empty. Edward told me that Carlisle was at work; Esme and Alice had gone to talk to Sam, with Jasper tagging along; and Emmett and Rosalie were on 'patrol', as Edward put it.

Which left only us. I felt unbearably useless as I toyed with my breakfast, not especially hungry but knowing that I had to eat something. Then I should probably go home; I hadn't seen Charlie in –

"Charlie!" I leapt up, only to pause at Edward's chuckle.

"Relax, Bella. Alice rang him last night to say that the sleepover had been extended." My face must have shown my relief because he laughed again. "If you've finished, I'll drive you home."

"He's going to freak!" I groaned as I climbed in the car. "Sleepover at your house – with you there!"

Edward shook his head, bronze hair flopping forward delightfully. "Well you can tell him, perfectly honestly, that we didn't sleep together. I don't sleep; technically that means we didn't sleep _together_."

I threw him a glance, ready to retort, but the sight of him grinning that crooked smile back at me was enough to have my heart tripping and the thoughts flying out of my head. "Well…yeah," was the best I could come up with. He laughed softly at me again.

"I love you, Bella."

"Good," I huffed.

In no time at all – much too soon, in other words – we were pulling up in front of my house. Sure enough, Charlie's cruiser was in the drive, and I cringed at the thought of what he would say when he saw Edward and I. Or, worse, what he would _think_. I hoped Edward wouldn't fill me in on that later; there are some things a girl doesn't need to know. Having said that, if Charlie decided he wanted another 'talk' with me, I'd rather know beforehand so I could escape…

A movement caught the corner of my eye, and I clutched at Edward's arm. "Edward…" By the time I turned to look, however, I could only see trees and shadows and emptiness.

He nodded casually. "It's one of the pack. You go ahead and I'll –"

Too late, because Charlie had already opened the door and was glowering at us from the house. I took a deep breath. "Oh, boy."

Edward cast an amused glance towards me, took my hand and led me forwards. "Good morning, Sir."

"Edward." Charlie nodded curtly to him, before turning his scowl on me. "Bella, a word please. Now."

"Hi Dad," I mumbled. At my side, I could feel Edward shaking with repressed laughter, whether at Charlie's thoughts or my reaction I couldn't tell. "Sure, what's the matter?"

"Privately please, Bella." This wasn't good. Edward was still laughing at some joke only he could understand, Charlie was fuming, there was a werewolf hanging out somewhere in the woods nearby…anything else? I wasn't exactly comforted when Edward suddenly stiffened by my side, all traces of humour gone from his face when I glanced up.

"That's okay. I just need to get something from the car. See you in a minute, love."

I followed Charlie gloomily into the house, wondering what had Edward so suddenly tense. What news was the werewolf bringing? Had they found Callie? God, was she –

"Isabella Swan." Charlie's voice brought me back to the present with a jerk, but now I was more terrified about the prospect of something having happened to Callie to really worry about what he was going to say to me. I threw caution to the winds.

"Look, Dad, I stayed over at Edward's. But we didn't sleep together –" _technically_, "– so there's no need for you to have a go at me. Besides, we're engaged! How was Billy?" I tried to get through as quickly as possible, and saw him slightly flummoxed at my abrupt change of subject.

"Billy's fine, he…" Charlie shook his head as though to clear it. "Isabella! This isn't about…_that._ This is regarding a complaint I had from somebody regarding inappropriate public behaviour!"

I blinked. Well, I hadn't expected that. "Um, Dad, I can explain…" My voice trailed off as I tried to think up an excuse. He waited. "Um…"

I was saved as the front door banged open behind me. "Excuse me, Sir, but Bella and I _really_ need to go somewhere right now…"

"What took you so long?" I started to hiss. Then I turned, and my mouth dropped open.

"Callie!"

She was standing there, one small hand in Edward's as though for courage, in the dress we'd left in the back seat of the Volvo last night. She stared down at her bare feet so that her face was curtained by that shining mass of dark hair. "Callie, thank God…" I took a step forward, but she involuntarily flinched back slightly, and I came to the sudden frightened conclusion that Edward was holding on to her as much for my safety as for her comfort.

"It's nice to meet you." Charlie hovered behind me like some dark wraith. "Unfortunately, Bella's busy right now. She won't be free until later."

"It's important –" Edward began, but Callie cut him off.

"Bella's explained everything to you. You'll be happy to let her go." Without waiting for his reaction she turned to me, and I saw now that her black eyes were filled with a tortured hunger and terror. "We have to go, Bella."

"Nice to meet you, Callie!" Charlie called cheerfully after us as I stumbled after Edward and Callie to his car. "See you later, Bells."

"Wow. I wish I could do that." I couldn't help but smile as the car shot forward, despite the tension in the car. "It would save me a whole lot of hassle. Where's the fire, Edward?" I asked as he drove grimly. Callie sat very still in the back, but I could feel her anxiety, practically _sense_ her willing the car to go faster.

"Not so much fire as ice," Edward replied softly.

That had me freezing. "Ice…?" Then, "Alice didn't see anything, did she?" Panic was rising within me. Ice. A vampire. But why were they so worried? Surely the Cullens could deal with a vampire…unless it was like before.

"Callie can explain better."

I glanced back at her. In the shadows, her eyes were like black hollows, purple bruising stark against her ghostly pallor, and she appeared to be sucking her thumb. However, as I looked at her she pulled it hastily from her mouth to hide it, but not swiftly enough for me to miss the trickle of blood that was oozing down her wrist. I pulled back, trying not to overwhelm her with my scent. In quarters this close, it must be terrible…I peeked at Edward, knew by the set of his jaw that he was less than happy with the situation. But the fact that he carried on driving? There had to be an emergency, nothing short of a nightmare come to life. I swallowed.

"Callie?"

"Could you please stop moving, Bella? Thanks." I stayed as still as I could, sure that the frantic pounding of my heart in my chest couldn't be helping matters. "Basically, we have a problem. A really, really big problem." Her eyes met mine so that I could see just how serious she was. Barely suppressed panic lay in those onyx orbs, horror that was fighting to break free. I saw too in that gaze just how close Callie had come to running; how near she had been to turning her back on all of us and simply carrying on until she was on her own again.

"What…what happened?" I forced myself to whisper.

She held my gaze a moment longer.

"I was running," she replied at last. "I wanted to get away. I was…" her voice faltered. "I didn't think I was going to come back. It's…it's terrifying," she burst out. "The idea of staying…you've all got this, I don't know, _closeness_, and…God, it doesn't matter. But I wasn't coming back. And then I heard…somebody. A voice, a thought –"

I was utterly confused. I didn't understand what Callie was talking about, how this related to any danger we might be in.

"Go on, Callie," Edward urged her gently.

The girl drew in a deep, shuddering breath. "I don't know how to describe it. It was like I could hear somebody else's thoughts, but it was more than that. I could _feel_ their entire being, everything they were…and he was just as terrified as me. Running, like me. But there was something chasing him…"

Her words trailed off into silence, and I tried to control the jumble of thoughts and emotions streaming through my own mind. Somebody else out there, as frightened as Callie? A consciousness that somehow connected to hers?

"His first thought when he realised I was there was 'Thank God.'" A flicker of a smile spread across Callie's face. "'Thank God somebody's there.' Then confusion, because he didn't know me. He was all alone, and he was being hunted." Her eyes lifted to mine, making me flinch back at the anger and passion in them. "They were hunting him. He wanted me to find my Alpha and tell him – tell him the Cold Ones were coming. That they had his trail and there was nowhere to go."

I thought that my heart might have stopped altogether. _Cold Ones…_

The car stopped moving abruptly as Edward pulled up outside Billy's house. I'd barely noticed the journey at all, let alone where we were going. I jumped out of the car as quickly as possible, still miles behind the other two, and half-ran up the path to Billy's front door. Around us, people were emerging from the forest until I was sure that most of the pack was there. The Cullens, too, appeared to be converging, so that all around us voices babbled but I wasn't listening. My stomach was twisting, and I was terrified.

Only Sam and Jared actually came into the house, but even so Billy's front room was crammed full and it seemed to me as though we had all gathered for some sort of war council. The word _war_ sent a shiver through me, and I was immensely grateful for the comfort of Edward's arm across my shoulders.

"Callie's seen a werewolf coming to Forks," he announced without preamble. "He's being hunted. By a pack of vampires."

**A/N: You didn't think I was going to let Callie get away that easily, did you? xxx**


	16. Yes, I'm a mindleech

**A/N: 16 is my lucky number. And I really like this chapter too.**

**A few more answers, and a few more questions…**

**Thank you so much for all the reviews for last chapter, it brought me up to over 100! It made me happy, so I promptly completed another chapter, wrote a thousand words on another story, **_**and **_**had this amazingly brilliant idea about where I'm taking Shattered Sunrise. That was all on top of reading two really good, really long fanfics. See what pressing one little blue/purple button can do? (See how much time I have on my hands…?) Love you! xxx :)**

**Chapter 16**

Emmett swore. "More werewolves?" he whined.

Jared growled, but was quietened with a look from Sam even as Carlisle shot a glare towards his adopted son. "Inappropriate, Emmett."

Alice's eyes had narrowed. "Just one?" she asked. "A wolf without a pack?"

Callie nodded. "He's alone. But there are lots of _them_. About a day behind him, but he can't shake them." I was shocked by the amount of venom she managed to force into that single _them_.

Emmett rubbed his hands together in mock glee. "It's back to us and them, then. Which team are we on, Carlisle?"

A sudden silence, as everybody became aware that if it was down to vampires and werewolves again, the enemy was all in one place. At very close quarters, and with two vulnerable humans in the midst. My eyes met Billy's, and saw the same fearful uncertainty in his expression as must be in mine. Edward's arms tightened around me, drew me closer to him as he prepared to run. The tension was almost tangible.

"If they're coming here, there isn't going to be any fighting," Carlisle spoke firmly. "We have too much to risk; Forks, and the reservation, Bella and now Callie. We are not going to be fighting you, whatever happens."

Everybody relaxed.

"If you hate each other so much, why do you live so near each other?" Callie asked curiously.

Everybody exchanged glances. "She honestly doesn't know?" Sam asked Edward.

I watched Callie's pretty face pout. "I'm right here," she pointed out. "And no, I don't."

"They're so close, love, because our presence causes their change," Esme explained gently. "When we move away, the...genetic trait doesn't come out."

"As long as _they're_ here, we change," Sam clarified.

"Which makes me what?" Callie's laugh was bitter, and a shadow flashed across her pale face. "Some sort of self-fulfilling prophecy?"

"It does take irony to the next level," Edward muttered into my ear from behind me. Callie shot him an exasperated look, and I couldn't quite suppress a relieved giggle.

"Thanks."

"Sarcasm is always welcome in our family, Callie," Emmett grinned. "You'll fit in just fine." The little girl stared at him, and I was once again struck by the absolute incredulity in her expression at the Cullens' easy acceptance of her. I took another, closer look at her, and was stunned to see how much she'd changed. Since the day I first saw her, even since yesterday, she'd grown. Taller, like yesterday, but now her face had started to lose some of its childishness and could probably pass for about a year or two older. I felt a pang as I remembered Jacob's abrupt growth spurt, found myself staring at the girl and wondering how much more she would grow.

Callie caught my stare and cocked her head to one side, eyes registering her query, but I just shook my head, blushing. She shrugged, shivering.

"Carlisle," Esme spoke softly, rested one hand lightly on her husband's arm. "Carlisle, do you think...possibly...Tanya? You know, with Laurent and what she said before...if they saw a werewolf in their territory, would they follow, do you think?"

Horrified, I glanced up at Edward, the grimness on his face all the answer I needed. My heart sank and I felt sick. Would the Cullens still support the pack against the coven from Denali? Would they be able to keep out of the inevitable battle? Edward pressed a kiss to my forehead. "Don't worry, love," he murmured. "The town'll be safe." I had the strangest feeling that he'd misinterpreted my worry deliberately, but now wasn't the time to argue and it brought up another issue.

"If it's Tanya, isn't that a kind of good thing?" I blurted. Everybody looked at me as though I was absolutely crazy, and I hurried on. "I mean...they won't be going after Forks. And you know them, so maybe..." My voice trailed off helplessly.

"Maybe..." Jasper began, but Sam interrupted.

"Wait a minute. Who's Tanya and why would she be coming here?"

"Tanya and her coven are from Denali," Carlisle explained shortly. "They're like us. Your pack killed one of their mates some time ago, Laurent, and they want to come and kill you. That was their condition for helping us with Victoria's newborn army."

"And you refused." It was more a statement that a question, and a new respect flickered briefly in Sam's eyes before being replaced by a frown. "Why didn't you let us know about this before?"

"Didn't really come up." Carlisle winced. "I know how that sounds, but really it didn't. Let me just check something." He pulled a cell phone from his pocket, punched in a number by heart.

We – or maybe it was just me – held our breath while we waited. Then I remembered and started breathing again, glancing up at Edward to see him watching me with one eyebrow raised. A flush rose to my cheeks, and I mumbled, "Sorry." His gaze flashed over my head, a frown marring his perfect features briefly as his eyes settled on Billy.

"Tanya?" Carlisle's voice cut through my embarrassment and confusion, every head in the room flicking back towards him. "I have to ask...yes. Exactly. Thank you for letting us know." The tone of his words had me abruptly frozen; I'd never heard such anger in Carlisle's voice before, a terrible, controlled anger that vibrated under every word, and it frightened me. With that sense he had of knowing when I was nervous, Edward's arms pulled me closer.

I became aware of another noise; Jared's teeth were drawn back into a slight snarl, eyes flashing at something I obviously couldn't hear. Probably Tanya's contribution to the conversation. Sam quietened him with a look, but the leader of the pack's own eyes were blacker than I had ever seen them.

"Really?" Carlisle continued. "That's really very nice of you, Tanya. But the situation hasn't changed. Well," he clarified, "it has. But not like that. If anything, there's even less chance – fine. All right. Yes, we will." There was a tightness to his jaw as he slammed the cell phone closed.

"Problem," Edward murmured.

"They're a way away still," Carlisle informed us coolly – probably unnecessarily, as most of the room would have heard both sides of the conversation anyway.

"Which explains why the pack members on patrol still can't catch anything," Edward added before Sam could. "Callie, I think your...talent, whatever to call it, may have you at an advantage here. We need –"

"Not right now." Rosalie spoke up for the first time. "We have a more immediate problem."

"Rose, if this –" Alice sounded exasperated, but Rosalie cut her off with one of her ice-queen glares.

"No, Alice. It's Callie. Look at her, for God's sake!" I was stunned by the vehemence of her statement, angry at her for treating the newest addition to the Olympic Peninsula so carelessly. Then I did look at Callie, and all colour washed out of my face. "She _has_ to go hunting," Rosalie added.

A drop of blood was trickling down Callie's wrist, escaped from where she had her own finger in her mouth. Her pupils were dilated like those of a drug addict, and those massive black eyes flicked wildly about the room in a manner that reminded me, like a jolt to my stomach, of that first day.

"Bella, don't move," Edward ordered me, even as Rosalie snapped out again.

"Sam, is there a forest on the reservation with large game that'll be empty right now?"

Sam crossed his arms, towering over us all threateningly. "She's not hunting on the reservation," he stated coldly.

"For God's sake! Look at her!" Rosalie hissed. He started to shake his head, but then Callie's voice startled us all.

"Tell her." That lilting tone was hard as iron, and Sam's face went abruptly blank as he gave Rosalie directions. Jared stared first at him, then at Callie in absolute horror.

"Thanks, _Sam_," Rosalie spat scornfully. To my utter surprise, she scooped Callie up in her arms bride-style and blurred from the room, quickly followed by somebody else so that before any of us could properly register what had just happened they had gone.

We stared at each other, stunned, as Sam shook his head and blinked around the room. "What the – ?" he snarled, but Carlisle shook his head.

"She needs to hunt, Sam. It was that or Callie was going to go for anyone else, which meant you, Jared, Billy and Bella were in serious trouble."

"Unless she chose to bite herself," Alice added sadly. I glanced around the room to check who was missing; it looked like the second blur had been Esme. It still left me amazed, and not a little disgruntled, that Rosalie had taken Callie's side so quickly, had accepted her just like that.

"She would have done that?" Jared murmured.

Emmett shot him a glance. "She was chewing her own finger, man. And she opened her own vein to stop killing Bella the other day." Both werewolves looked suddenly shaken before they could struggle to pull their former masks of impassivity into place.

"Wow."

"Amazing," Jasper added dryly. His arms drew Alice to him and he lowered his face to her hair. She turned her head to smile up at him, lifted one small hand to his cheek, and once more I struck by the depth of the connection that ran between them. For such a public display of affection, though, Callie's leaking emotions must have been truly horrifying.

"So we need to decide –"

"Before we go any further," Edward spoke calmly from behind me, "I think Billy has something he needs to tell us."

Sudden silence as everybody turned to Billy who had turned abruptly red, eyes narrowing.

"Yes, I'm a mind-leech," my vampire added with amusement. "Sorry. But it could be fairly vital."

Sam glanced between Edward and Billy. "What's going on?" he growled.

"Are you going to tell them, or shall I?" Edward asked mildly. He gave a sigh as Billy remained stubbornly silent, took a step back from me so that he could address the room. He kept my hand firmly in his, however. "Billy's contacted a distant relative of his. Ze'eva Hache as she was until she married Cayne Anderson. Now, Cayne happens to be the brother of one Deandra White."

I drew in a sharp hiss of a breath. Apparently Edward had filled in the rest of his family, as the only ones who didn't show even the barest flicker of recognition were Sam and Jared. "Billy, who's this Deandra White?" The pack leader demanded. "And why would you need to contact her?"

"Not Deandra." Billy spoke for the first time. "Not her. Deandra's dead going on thirteen, fourteen years now. I spoke to her family, to Ze'eva. Deandra was killed that long ago, when she was pregnant."

That was news to me. My hand flew to my mouth, even as I sensed Alice do exactly the same. There was no doubt in my mind now that Deandra White was Callie's mother; that her family had abandoned her to the children's home. Tears rose behind my eyelids. "How could they?" I choked out. "How could they leave her?"

"Billy, what's going on?" Sam's posture was angry, defensive, probably at being the last to find out. "What the hell's going on here?"

"Ze'eva filled me in on what happened," Billy continued quietly. His low voice was husky with emotion, grief and anger merged together. "The family doesn't talk about it that much, but...Deandra was killed, they found her body but not that of the baby. A little girl they'd already named Liadán. They hunted down her murderer, but there was no sign of the baby. They assumed –" His jaw tightened, "– the child was dead too. All the evidence pointed towards that," he added angrily.

"What Billy's not saying," Edward filled in quietly, "is that Deandra was killed by a vampire."

"Oh, sh –" Emmett began to swear.

"Emmett!" Carlisle cut him off. I didn't quite understand their reaction as my mind stumbled along more slowly, trying to process the awful story and what it implicated. I looked up at Edward, ideas beginning to form in my mind.

Edward's hand tightened on mine as his beautiful topaz eyes bore down on me, filled with sadness. "Deandra was a werewolf," he confirmed. "Her family are werewolves."

"If Billy's contacted them –" Alice started slowly.

"– And if they think Callie might be this baby…" Jasper continued.

Edward nodded. "The pack's coming over here," he told us bleakly. "They should be here tomorrow."

Emmett started swearing again, but this time nobody stopped him. We were all staggered by the string of shocks, a series of shattering announcements one after another. I was suddenly very glad that Callie wasn't here. She was – my mind had already overruled the idea of it being a simple possibility – the daughter of a werewolf, a member of a pack.

A pack that was descending on Forks at the same time as a coven of rabid vampires – maybe that was the wrong word, but it still fit – intent of wiping all werewolves from the face of the planet. I leant back into Edward's marble chest, suddenly light headed.

Wouldn't this be fun?

**A/N: Uh-oh… **

**So what do you think of Deandra? And Rosalie (I **_**like**_** Rosalie when she's being nice)…Did anybody think of Tanya's coven? Please review! xxx :)**


	17. Don't make my baby cry

**A/N: Longest chapter so far! Admittedly, it's a bit of a sidetrack from the main storyline, but hey. Enjoy. A little something to complicate matters further…**

**Chapter 17**

"Um...Bella," Alice ventured in the Volvo on the way back to my house, "This may not be a good time, but...um..."

"Spit it out and tell her, Alice," Edward snapped impatiently. "It's not going to change anything however you deliver the news."

"Edward, don't be so mean to Alice," I scolded him. "Alice, what's the matter?"

"Your mom's got a surprise for you!" Alice sang. I froze. Renée and surprises don't have the best track record.

"Let me guess," I sighed. "She's coming to Forks."

Alice blinked at me once, twice. "You knew?" she accused me. "You knew and you didn't say anything?"

I stared at her, my heart sinking. "You're serious?" I demanded. "Mom's coming – here?" _Bad, bad, bad idea, Mom... Not good. Not good at all._

"Yes. Aren't you happy?" she asked worriedly. I almost laughed. Could she be serious? Was she really asking me if I was happy that my Mom was coming here, now? I exchanged glances with Edward, but he only looked a little worried at my expression. _How to explain this..._

"Honestly? I don't know whether to laugh, or cry, or scream," I replied resignedly. "She's either coming to meet your family or try and talk me out of this whole thing. Either way, she's coming to a place she hates which is currently overrun by vampires and werewolves and mixtures of the two, and is possibly about to become the scene of an inter-species battle with reinforcements coming from all angles. But hey, forget that, let's plan a wedding."

"Sarcasm doesn't suit you, Bella," Alice pouted.

I sighed. "Sorry, Alice," I apologised to her irresistible puppy-dog eyes. The pout vanished, and she was all smiles again.

"This isn't good!" I moaned. Edward looked across at me. "Keep your eyes on the road!" I told him, more out of habit than anything else. He sighed, glanced obediently forward.

"Bella, it'll be fine. I've met Renée before, haven't I? And I think she'll find Carlisle and Esme perfectly acceptable. She did meet them in Phoenix...Alice, for God's sake let me know if Emmett decides to do anything stupid. Scrap that, I'm going to tell him to take a holiday. Go anywhere, far away – far, far away preferably – so he can't –"

"Fight any crazy vampires or foreign werewolves?" Alice suggested sweetly. "Not going to work, Edward. We need the whole family here. If Tanya decides to do anything –"

"Can't you _see_ anything?" I blurted.

She shook her head, bottom lip poking out in a pout. "No. We've got Callie running around, and the La Push pack, and now apparently these English werewolves –"

"They're originally from Canada," Edward murmured. "Some of them, at least. Some are from –"

"Edward, I don't _care_." Edward was right. Alice really did get grumpy when she couldn't predict what was going to happen. "Did Billy have any clue when they're going to arrive?"

"They're flying over as soon as possible, they told him. I don't even know how many are coming..." His brow creased in a frown. "I don't know how they'll react to us, either. If they're as adamantly anti-vampire as the Denali coven is anti-werewolf, we could have an all-out battle on our hands. And I have no idea who would win," he admitted.

There was a long silence.

"So when's my mom arriving?" I asked lightly, trying to break the deep, uncomfortable quiet.

"Um..." I intercepted the look Alice shot Edward and cocked an eyebrow.

"What?"

"She's...um...arriving at Charlie's house now," Alice told me in a rush.

An even longer, more awkward silence than before.

"Well. Well then. That's nice."

"I think she's in shock," Alice hissed at Edward.

"Would you stop that? I'm still here." Barely. Considering killing myself. Throwing myself on the mercy of Tanya and asking her to change me so Edward would have no excuse but to take me away right now to Antarctica, before I had to face Renée and Charlie, together, on the subject of getting married.

I swallowed.

"No, Bella. Tanya wouldn't consider changing you."

"What –" Edward glared at me. I changed my mind.

"And no, you're not eloping today either. You promised," Alice whined plaintively. Then she brightened. "Good girl. That's better."

I sighed. There was no way of getting out of it. Not even an inter-species war would let me escape Alice and her wedding plans. Or Renée. I swallowed again as we pulled up into our drive outside the house. There was no sign of an extra car. Maybe –

"Don't worry, she's there," Alice chirped happily.

"Remind me why we didn't stay for the inter-species war conference?" I whined. "Or anything. Couldn't we have gone shopping?" Alice's face brightened, and Edward chuckled.

"No, Bella. Renée's in there, and you're going to act like you're totally surprised. All right?" I still grumbled, until he reached over and took my face between his hands, topaz eyes on mine. "What are you going to do?"

"Go inside," I murmured in a daze, "and act like I'm totally surprised."

He smiled, and my insides melted. "Good girl, Bella. I love you." And then he kissed me. "Come on." I stumbled out of the car, still dreamy, and allowed him to lead me by the hand up to the front door. By the time the fog in my mind cleared, we were at the front door.

"Edward –"

Too late. He'd already opened the door and was dragging me inside, so I tripped after him with a sense of dread building in my stomach. _Not good..._

"Surprise!"

I managed a perfectly plausible scream of shock. Or maybe it was horror. I caught a glimpse of Edward looking amused before Renée launched herself across the room and threw herself at me. Luckily she was screaming too as she sobbed into my hair, arms tightly around my neck so that it felt she was choking me. "Mom! Mom, what are you doing here?"

She finally let go of me, held me at arms' length to look at me. "Bella, baby, it's so good to see you!"

"Mom, I'm...wow, I missed you, Mom!" And it was true. Now that she was here, I was really glad that she was, no matter what was going on with vampire-werewolf wars and weddings...It was like I was a little kid again. Mom's here, everything's going to be fine! Except I was always the one looking out for her, but whatever. "Mom, where's Phil?"

"He's still on tour. But I wanted to come and see you, Bells. Bella, Bella, you look incredible! I've missed you so much!" And she hugged me again. "Was it a good surprise?"

She sounded so hopeful I couldn't help but smile. "Of course, Mom. I had no idea…" I threw a dirty look at Edward over her shoulder, but he only shrugged, smiling. "When did you decide to come?"

"Just this morning. Spur of the moment thing." All right, Alice was forgiven. She pulled back from me, seemed to notice for the first time the two Cullens in the hall. One hand flew to her mouth. "Oh, I'm sorry! Edward, it's lovely to see you again!" She took a step forward, hugged him tightly as I tried to hide a wince. "And you and Bella are getting married!"

I could hear the accusation behind that, stepped forward quickly. "Mom, this is Alice, Alice my mom Renée. Alice is Edward's sister. Well, adopted sister, Esme and Carlisle adopted them all, did we tell you about the others?" I was perfectly aware that I was babbling, but I'd do anything to get Renée off the subject of the wedding. "You should meet them sometime –" I froze. I could not believe I just suggested Renée should meet the Cullens.

Three people shot me identically amused looks. "I did meet them before, in Phoenix," Renée reminded me. "But –"

"Yes, you should definitely come over sometime," Alice gushed. I could have killed her. "It's so nice to see you again. Carlisle and Esme will be thrilled you're here, we'd all like you to say thank you so much for Bella." What was I, some sort of Christmas gift? "I'm helping Bella plan the wedding."

No! Not back to the wedding! I'm _happy_ as a Christmas gift. Not a wedding present, though.

"Mom, do you want a drink?" I interrupted loudly.

"Bella, you're an angel," she glanced around with a massive smile. "Can I have a cup of coffee, please? So, Alice," she began.

"Did I tell you Edward plays the piano, Mom?" I tried desperately, and knew I'd hit gold when Renée's eyes flickered to Edward. Maybe this topic would distract her until I got back...

"Just going to make the coffee." I hooked Charlie with one finger from where he stood awkwardly in the living room, dragged him in after me. "Why didn't you tell me Mom was coming?" I hissed.

"Bells, I didn't find out until after you'd gone this morning." His eyes narrowed. "Speaking of which, Isabella –"

Oops. "Not now, Dad. Where's Mom staying? Because she's sure as hell not going to sleep on the couch."

"I…I don't…"

I sighed. "It's all right, Dad. She can have my room, I'll go sleep at Ed – Alice's." _Don't notice the slip, don't notice –_

"You are _not_ sleeping at Edward's." Now Charlie sounded really mad. "Neither your mother or I –"

"Neither of you can stop me." I know it was cruel, but I _really_ didn't want to be the sole focus of both my parents for however long was staying. "I'm sorry, Dad, but you're not talking me out of marrying Edward. Remember what happened last time you tried?" We both shuddered at the thought of the day I came home and told Charlie I was engaged. Not a happy memory. But I was still here – barely – so I guess we'd agreed to let it lie. Renée, however, wasn't going to let it rest if she got her teeth into it. I doubted she'd say anything in front of Edward or Alice, but…

I made the coffee as fast as I could and hurried out to the others. Luckily, Renée was still rhapsodizing over Edward's piano playing, egged on by a very gleeful-looking Alice. If Edward could blush, I was certain he'd be as red as I could go. I was barely listening in my relief, but my ears picked up the words: "So, Renée, why don't you come over tonight? You, Charlie and Bella could all come meet our family officially."

I think I stopped breathing.

All right, I _know_ I stopped breathing, because Edward shot that adorably irritated look at me. "Bella," he complained. I breathed.

"Won't your parents be busy tonight?" I hinted.

Alice looked at me as if I was crazy, pixie face innocent. "No, of course not. The guests are arriving _tomorrow_, remember." She looked back at Renée with a beaming smile. "I can guarantee they'll be ecstatic to see you."

Couldn't she have warned me? Couldn't she have said any little thing to stop me having a heart attack here and now? Edward slipped past Renée as she and Alice chattered on – I should have known they'd get on like a house on fire – and wound his arms about my waist as I stood there, stunned, steaming mug of coffee in one hand. "Don't look so horrified, love," he murmured in my ear. "Didn't you hear Alice? Everything will be fine."

"Yeah, sure," I replied with a roll of my eyes.

He brought his lips closer to my neck, had my pulse racing. "Bella," he replied firmly, "don't you trust me?" My insides were turning to fuzz. I wanted to turn around and kiss him, right there in front of my mother. "Something smells good," he added.

I struggled to think. "You don't drink coffee." Thinking was difficult with him this close, like trying to wade through treacle. A throaty chuckle rolled next to my ear.

"Not the coffee, Bella. You."

"Oh. Well." He drew away all too soon, and I blinked a couple of times only to see Renée watching me with a faint smile on her face. I felt a blush rise to my cheeks, cursed myself for that reaction. "Um...coffee, Mom." Her eyes scanned my face and I caught a glimpse of pride, worry and sadness mixed up in that gaze.

"Thanks, Bells." Long, awkward silence, my face still flaming. I glanced up at Edward for help, but Alice spoke before he could.

"So...I'm going to go back home now. Let Esme and Carlisle know you'll be over later, okay? Is about eight-ish all right? – I'd invite you for dinner but we're kind of out of food at the moment." Thank God Alice hadn't invited Charlie and Renée over to dinner at the Cullens' house. How would they explain to my parents if the whole family didn't eat? _Here, come to dinner at the vampires' house..._ I shuddered.

"I'll see you later, then. Bye Bella, bye Edward!" It was only then that I realized Alice was abandoning us, and felt a momentary flicker of panic which was cooled as Edward's fingers tightened around mine. At least he was staying. I glared at him. He'd _better_ be staying. Those long, cold fingers squeezed my hand in reassurance and I allowed myself to relax marginally.

"Bye, Alice."

"I need to head back into work as well." Charlie grabbed his hat, headed towards the door. "See you soon. Bells, Edward. Renée." I almost groaned. It was going to be hell with the both of them here, especially in Forks.

"I can't believe you came here, Mom!" I exclaimed as soon as Charlie had gone. "You hate Forks!"

She shrugged. "You're here, aren't you? I just wish it was sunnier, but at least it's not raining today. Yet." I returned her smile, probably a little woodenly as I was thanking whatever god was out there that the sun _wasn't_ shining. I didn't really want to have to explain a glittering Edward on top of the inevitable wedding questions. I winced at the word, counted down to the first. Five, four, three –

"So, I thought I'd come visit before you got married! Have you set the date yet?"

"We sent you an invitation, Mom." I frowned up at Edward. "When is it again?"

"Soon. Getting closer all the time." He laughed at my scowl. "We wanted to get married before heading off to college; you know, wedding with everybody we know here."

"Are you sure about it?" How did I know that question would be coming? "I mean, I don't want you to rush into anything you'll regret...you're both so young!" Renée cried.

I saw the concern in her face, glanced up at Edward and felt absolutely certain for what was probably the first time. "It's what I want, Mom. It's what _we_ want." I smiled at my fiancé, for once not shuddering at the mere thought of the word. I was marrying Edward; he was going to be mine, forever and ever, in name and heart and soul, and there was nothing I could regret about that.

"I love your daughter more than anything in the world," Edward told Renée softly without moving his eyes from mine. "I want everybody to know that." Take _that_, Mike Newton.

"Well." I reluctantly tore my eyes away from Edward's to look at Renée, and saw that she was smiling; a proper, happy smile that told me she accepted and approved. I never loved her more than in that moment. "Good. Just take care of her, Edward. No more falling down stairs and out of windows." I winced.

"I will. I promise." Edward's cool fingers laced through mine.

I saw Renée study him with serious eyes. "You know what? I think you will look after her. Maybe this isn't as bad an idea as I thought."

"Mom!" I complained, mortified.

"What?" She looked utterly puzzled. "I said it _wasn't_ as bad an idea as I thought. What's bad about that?" Then she looked at him, eyes holding his with that _look_ she'd used on me since I was small whenever she wanted me to know that she was being serious, that this was important. "Don't make my baby cry, Edward," she told him. "Don't you dare hurt her."

"I love her," he replied simply.

Renée smiled. "I can tell," she told us softly, leant forward quickly to kiss us each on our cheeks. "Be happy."

I grinned up at Edward, knew that the tears in my eyes were of happiness and regret; happiness that Renée was okay with Edward and I getting married, but regret that it meant I would have to leave her. "Thanks, Mom."

"So much for it just being a crush," Renée muttered, and I blushed. Why did she have to bring that up? Edward chuckled, his arms drawing me closer.

"Don't worry," he murmured. "I'm not letting her get over this one any time soon."

**A/N: Don't we adore Edward? Isn't he the cutest boy ever? Why the hell is he already taken? Please review... xxx :)  
**


	18. Might just last forever

**A/N: Spending time with the Cullens, really. Hope you like this chapter...it's the last semi-tranquil one before everything starts happening. Thank you for all the reviews you've left me, and to everybody who's added me as a favourite/alert etc.! Love you xxx :)**

**Chapter 18**

I wasn't looking forward to this evening. I mean, great – Renée was here, I could spend time with my Mom! – but it was also not good in a big, big way; Mom was here! I couldn't remember the last time Renée and Charlie had had to spend any amount of time in each other's company. In Forks, which only made matters worse. And then – hey! add to that the fact Renée was meeting my fiancé's family who were, by the way, vampires. Throw in a volatile thirteen year-old who had a tendency towards drinking her own blood and turning into a werewolf, and the picture was almost complete. To finish it off, the invasion of two parties of mortal enemies due to arrive _very _soon, and you had one tangled, twisted mess. If there was a God, he was laughing at me, and he had a really warped sense of humour. No offence to Carlisle and Edward.

Renée had insisted Edward stay the rest of the afternoon and for dinner, which he cried off on the excuse that he'd promised Esme he'd be home to eat that evening. But he would come by to pick us all up later; no, he insisted he wanted to drive, the entry to his house was difficult to find, he'd be happy to drive the three of us.

"Coward," I muttered darkly, standing in the porch as he was leaving. "Throwing me to the wolves."

He gave me an amused smile. "Bella, my love, I wouldn't abandon you to the wolves, but I draw the line at antagonizing your parents. Charlie doesn't want me here which, I admit, doesn't normally stop me, but Renée seems to like me and I'm going to make myself as scarce as possible so that opinion doesn't change." Stupid irresistible crooked vampire smile. "They're not going to kill you, Bella. I love you." He swooped down and kissed me, then was gone before I could get my breath back. I stood on the porch and watched his silver Volvo sweep away under a darkening sky. Clouds were gathering overhead, and it smelt like rain, but I still smiled. With Charlie in the car, Edward was going to have to stick religiously to the speed limit. Maybe that would teach him to offer to drive my parents anywhere. Maybe that would teach him to leave me to have dinner with them by myself.

Somehow I doubted it though.

By the time he arrived to pick us up – promptly at half seven – I was ready to tear my hair out. Maybe Charlie and Renée hadn't started picking fights with each other; maybe they were making an effort to be civil. But sitting in silence interspersed occasionally with too-polite comments and forced smiles was my personal hell, and I was ready to kill Edward if he hadn't already been dead. I'd regret it afterwards, of course, but right now...

"How nice of you to come," I told him icily as I wrenched the door open. "Let me get my _parents._" I turned to stalk back into the living room, but Edward caught me around the waist, spun me closer to him.

"I'm sorry, love," he breathed, that sweet scent wiping away all reason so that I couldn't even be mad at him any more. _Stupid_ annoying vampire boy. "Was it awful?"

"Oh, no. Everything was just peachy." Okay, I could stay mad at him. It just took a little effort. With a glower at his irritating vampire face, I led him into the living room. "Mom, Dad, Edward's here." They both jumped up at the same moment from where they'd been sitting, relief showing on each of their faces at the interruption of the awkward silence.

"Edward!" Renée gushed. "Let me just go grab my purse." Maybe the reason Charlie was looking like he'd swallowed a live spider was because of what Mom was wearing – she looked amazing in a swing-skirted black dress and heels, not too dressy but still pretty fabulous. I'd changed too at Renée's urging, into a blue skirt that had magically and Alice-ly found its way into my wardrobe. From the way Edward's eyes had flickered over me appreciatively at the door I had suddenly become a great fan of magic and Alice-ness.

I was an even greater fan of the fact that I hadn't been Alice's shopping partner when she'd gone. I knew there was a reason we'd decided to keep Callie.

The drive to the Cullens' house was longer than usual. Whether it was the fact Edward was sticking to the speed limits as if his life – existence – depended on it, or that my still-silent parents were with us I don't know, but the journey was suddenly interminably long. Charlie was in the front seat, so I was relegated to staring out of the side window at the scenery flashing by – comparatively slowly.

I was inordinately relieved when we finally pulled up and was able to climb out of the door Edward held open for me. When he did the same for Renée, I heard her gasp at seeing the Cullens' mansion and couldn't quite help the grin that sprung to my lips. Just wait until she saw the family who lived there again. My eyes drifted across to Edward, captivated by his beautiful face so that when he glanced at me with an amused smile I blushed, embarrassed to be caught staring. But hey, I guess I was allowed, and he _was_ unbelievably gorgeous.

The door opened before we could reach it, golden light filtering out into the dim Forks evening past Esme. A welcoming smile lit her face and she looked like an angel. Just my luck to be marrying into a family of people who looked like that, who made my mother's breath catch every time she saw one of them. Edward chuckled, probably at whatever Renée was thinking, and I found myself blushing. Admittedly, Mom had met most of the family before – in the hospital in Phoenix – but the Cullens were more than a little overwhelming when you hadn't seen them for a while.

"Renée!" Esme hurried down the steps to hug my mother. "It's lovely to see you again! I'm so glad you could come up to Forks."

"Esme." Renée smiled warmly back at Edward's mother. "Thank you so much for having us; I hope we're not intruding."

"Nonsense. Alice invited you, didn't she? And only because she got there first. Charlie, thank you for coming!" She kissed him on each cheek. "Come in. Everyone's waiting to officially meet you again. I'm sorry we couldn't invite you for dinner, but we've been terribly busy recently and didn't have much suitable..." Still chattering warmly, she led my parents into the house. _Thank God for Esme, _was all I could think as Edward and I followed more slowly, hand in hand.

"It's going to be all right, Bells," Edward assured me.

"Has Alice seen anything?" I asked anxiously.

His answer wasn't exactly reassuring. "Well...no. Callie's here, so..."

"Callie's back? Is she all right, will she be okay?"

Edward laughed softly at me. "Ask her yourself, love. She and Rosalie have been bonding –" he made a face, "– over their hunting trip. God knows how, but they seem to be firm friends." I couldn't help but laugh at the idea of that as we entered the Cullens' living room to find them all assembled on the couches, like some sort of photo shoot for a magazine on family living. Alice leapt up to greet my parents immediately with Jasper hovering just behind her with a half-smile on his face, but Emmett and Rosalie stayed on the couch and my eyes flew to the little girl next to them.

Seeing her again, it struck me that Callie was less of a 'little girl' than she had been a mere two days ago. She was wearing a new dress, one I assumed Alice had discovered on the shopping trip yesterday, and she looked as stunning as the blonde vampire beside her. Callie, however, didn't have Rosalie's bloodless pallor, which made me feel unexpectedly relieved. I tuned back in to the conversation as Carlisle finished introducing the 'children'.

"...Rosalie and Emmett, I believe you met them in Phoenix, Renée? But you won't know Callie." The warmth in Carlisle's voice was extraordinary, and I realized that he'd fallen for Callie as much as the rest of us. The girl stood shyly, blushing furiously as she mumbled a response. "Charlie, Edward tells me you met Callie this morning."

"Only briefly." Charlie never spoke much, but he was more taciturn than ever tonight.

"We're considering extending our family," Esme smiled at Callie. "She's judging our suitability as a family at the moment."

At my side, Edward choked back a laugh, and I glanced from him to Renée. Mom looked puzzled, and a little shocked, but I couldn't see why until Edward lowered his face closer to mine. "She thinks Callie's pregnant and we're adopting the baby," he murmured so only I – and the rest of the family, probably – could hear. I had to bite back a grin, saw the rest of the Cullens hastily covering their mouths to hide smiles. Callie flushed bright red.

"We're all on our best behaviour," Alice added with a winsome smile. "Trying to charm her into staying and becoming our sister, aren't we Callie?" Alice was brilliant. I would have never found a way to explain the situation without giving away that Edward had told me what Renée was thinking. You had to love her, except when she was lecturing you on the importance of coordinating accessories.

Callie nodded, a breathtaking smile flashing momentarily across her pretty face. "It's nice to meet you," she greeted Charlie and Renée politely, twisting back her hair with one hand as it fell into her face.

Carlisle drew Charlie quickly into conversation about something, while I moved closer to Callie. "How are you?" I murmured.

"I'm fine." She shrugged, smiled. "Alice, do you have a hairband I could borrow?"

"You don't need a hairband," Alice told her firmly. "It looks lovely down." Callie had obviously spent enough time around the Cullens – two, three days? – to know not to argue. She sighed, let go of the shining mass of blue-black so it swung around her face.

"You've got lovely hair," Renée mentioned.

"Thank you." Callie blushed at the compliment. She was getting almost as bad as me about blushing when she'd lost the vampire pallor that seemed to appear when she needed blood. "It gets in the way a lot, though. I like yours...I knew someone with hair almost like it, but not as long."

Renée smiled warmly at the girl. "Thank you. A friend of yours?"

"Um...not exactly." Callie pulled a face. "She was all right, I guess, but she had severe attention deficit disorder. And she was a pyromaniac." I choked back a laugh at the horror on Renée's face. "Don't worry, they gave her pills for it," Callie added cheerfully.

"Who'd like a drink?" Esme jumped in. "Renée, Charlie, is there anything you'd like?"

The rest of the evening passed – as Edward had predicted – without incident, and he drove us home after about three hours that passed in fairly smooth chat about nothing in particular. I'd decided earlier that afternoon that there was no way I could possibly trust Charlie and Renée not to kill each other if I wasn't in the house, so with great reluctance I had agreed to sleep on the couch downstairs. Fortunately, neither of my parents were willing to stay up long – or, more likely, willing to stay downstairs where they'd be forced to make small-talk with each other – and headed for their respective bedrooms fairly soon after arriving home and Edward's car had pulled away.

I got ready for bed as quickly as possible, and leant my head around the door of my room before going back downstairs. "Goodnight, Mom."

Renée beckoned me in for a hug. One of the things I'd missed most about being away from Mom was the hugs she always gave me before bed, a tradition that went back as long as I could remember. "You're very lucky, Bells," she murmured in my ear. "I think that this is going to work for you. I wasn't sure at first, but now...I think it might just last forever."

I laughed softly. She had no idea. "Thanks, Mom. It means a lot, you being here. Love you."

"I love you too, Bella. See you in the morning. Have you got anything planned?"

Um...well. We had a pack of werewolves to meet from the airport and another coming in sometime with a coven of vampires on his tail, but otherwise... "I don't know, Mom. I think I may have a few things to do." I felt awful seeing her face fall. "We'll maybe go into town sometime?" Moms had to come first, even before inter-species wars.

"We'll see. It'd be nice." She kissed me. "Goodnight, Bella."

"'Night, Mom."

Edward was already waiting for me on the couch when I got downstairs. He pulled back the blanket wordlessly and I climbed in beside him, snuggling close and resting my head against his shoulder. "See, that all didn't go as badly as you thought, did it?"

"I guess not." I tilted my face upwards for a kiss. "I'm just a little worried about tomorrow, when Dad's not working and I have to deal with him and Mom on top of werewolves and Tanya's coven."

"We're dealing with it, Bella. We're all together, and I'm going to keep you safe. I promise." I could see his smile in the dimness. "I promised Renée."

"Better keep that one then," I replied.

"It's no problem," he whispered in return. "I love you, Bella."

"Love you too, Edward."

But even as he started to hum my lullaby, I couldn't help worrying that it wasn't going to be that easy. Even Edward's presence, his familiar scent and the comfort of his body beside mine couldn't quite calm my fears.

I'd find out in the morning just how right I was.

**A/N: Mental image of Charlie swallowing a live spider...nice. ;D**

**Oh, and I don't know when I'll next be able to update as school keeps insisting on not letting us go home to have a life. But I'll update asap, please leave me reviews! xxx :)**


	19. Can Jasper do this?

**A/N: Wow. It's nearly one in the morning...I've been babysitting. I have to get up in six hours, and I'm STILL posting this for you. That's what you call dedication! (yawn) I have to say, I love this chapter. Read on and you'll see why...please review to let me know what you think! xxx ;D**

**Chapter 19**

I was woken by Charlie stumbling about the kitchen at some ungodly hour, when the light filtering through the windows was still that grey haze of post-dawn, when night hadn't quite lifted and I should have been asleep. I rolled over with a groan, squashing my face into the pillow, and quickly realized that as Edward was gone I wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep.

Charlie looked up as I entered the kitchen, wordlessly pushed a glass of orange juice towards me. I took it gratefully, and neither of us spoke until I'd finished drinking. "I've got the day off," he told me. "I'm going over to Billy's."

I nodded "I'm going to spend some time with Mom."

"Thanks, Bells."

We didn't say much else before he picked up his jacket and left, leaving me sitting in the kitchen toying with a cold piece of toast. A night's sleep hadn't lessened my unease about the arrivals we were expecting today, and Edward's absence wasn't helping matters. I sighed loudly.

"Somebody's feeling a little sorry for themselves."

I think I leapt about a foot in the air as that familiar voice spoke behind me, those same cold arms creeping about my waist. My heart-rate skyrocketed and I was about turn around and scold him when I had a better idea. "You know you're not meant to be here, Mike!" I mock-whispered. "What if Edward catches you?"

My fiancé's low chuckle sounded in my ear, so close that his breath tickled my skin. "Mike, Bella? What were you thinking?"

I twisted around to grin up at Edward. "It was Mike or Jasper. How did you – oh, right. Key in the eaves. Got it." We really need to find a new place for that.

"Of course." He pressed a kiss to my throat, had me arching my neck at his touch. "Why Jasper?" Edward ran a line of butterfly-light kisses along my throat to my chin, making me shiver as the breath caught and my heart began racing. "Can Jasper do this?"

"I don't..." I struggled to organize my thoughts. "You'd be the one to know. After all, you can read Alice's mind," I teased. He stopped abruptly at that, withdrew.

"That was cruel," he murmured as he came around the table to face me. "Reminding me about my siblings' twisted minds." He shuddered, but I could have sworn that behind his teasing façade he was embarrassed.

"If you could blush, you'd be redder than me," I decided smugly.

"Oh, really?" He leant forward so that his face was bare inches from mine, sweet breath washing over me in a dizzying wave. His topaz eyes were fixed on mine, mesmerizing in their intensity. His lips hovered tantalizingly close to mine, just far enough away that I couldn't reach them but practically begging for me to kiss them. It was infuriating the way those same perfect lips twitched into a smile; Edward knew how he was teasing me.

The final straw came when those gorgeous eyes flickered down over my own lips. A small moan escaped me as I leant forward. I kissed him, and he kissed me back, and I lost myself in that ecstasy of sensations that was kissing Edward – when, all too soon and long before we'd reached any of those barriers he'd designated, he pulled back.

"Edward," I complained softly. "That's not –" I froze as his gaze flickered past me.

"Good morning," he greeted Renée politely.

I could have died there and then. My face was flaming as I turned slowly, saw the slight smirk on her face as she studied us knowingly. "Good morning, Edward, Bella." She crossed the kitchen to take out a mug, start making herself coffee.

I glared furiously at Edward, who looked incredibly, insufferably smug. "Now who's blushing?" he murmured.

xox

"So what plans do you two have for today?" Renée asked when I came back downstairs from my shower. I'd hurried through it as quickly as possible, trying not to imagine what embarrassing topics or memories my mother might bring into a conversation with my fiancé. Or worse, what memories would pop into Renée's mind that she chose not to say which would be invariably worse than those she would tell Edward.

"Um..." I didn't know what to say. I wanted to spend time with Mom, but I also wanted to spend time with Edward. And there was the problem of the imminent arrivals, but how could I explain this to Renée?

"I hope you don't mind, but we do have plans for today." Renée's face fell, and Edward went on, "My parents are expecting some people this afternoon, and they invited Bella to come and meet them. However, this morning, Alice is going to come over and we can show you all of the plans for the wedding so far."

The only reason I didn't groan out loud was the way Renée's face lit up again. "That would be wonderful, Edward." Were those tears in her eyes? "Oh, Bella, you're getting married!" She turned back to Edward. "Your sister's such a sweetheart for helping like this. I wouldn't really be any help at all, would I Bells?"

I didn't have a chance to get a word in before she went off in another extended story. I caught Edward's eye, had to struggle not to giggle. I love Renée, but sometimes... God, I've missed her.

"How long have I got to persuade you that this is a bad idea?" I muttered out of the corner of my mouth to Edward. Alice...and my mother...planning my wedding. Edward snaked an arm about my waist, dipped his head to press a kiss to my forehead while Renée chattered on about everything and nothing.

"About five seconds," he told me with that crooked grin. "Five...four...three –"

"Is that Alice at the door already?" Renée jumped up, beaming, and I didn't have the heart to groan aloud. "Will you get that, Bella?"

"I'm already there." Edward rose in one graceful movement and was gone before I could blink.

"I like him," Renée told me softly and with a knowing smile. "I really do." I was startled into not replying, but Mom just laughed. "Where's Charlie this morning?" she added casually.

"He's already gone to Billy Black's," I replied. "So they're probably fishing."

Renée rested one hand briefly against my cheek as she passed me, that casual contact of warm flesh almost making me jump. "Poor Bella," she murmured. "You must be so bored here." I glanced up, ready to protest, but saw that her eyes were sparkling with humour as her gaze flickered up and over my head.

As usual, I heard Alice before seeing her. The little vampire flung herself across the kitchen to hug Renée, who despite appearing very surprised was nonetheless obviously pleased at Alice's spontaneous show of affection. I settled for Edward's arms around my waist as he stood behind me, leaning back into his marble chest and letting his sweet scent enfold me. I'd almost forgiven him for his little blushing trick this morning, I decided.

"Bella!" Alice turned to me. "I hope you don't mind, I brought Callie along too..." I spun, caught sight of the girl hovering in the doorway.

"Callie, I didn't see you there!"

She shrugged, a shy smile playing about her lips. Rosy-cheeked and bright eyed, she looked stunning. "Hi Bella, Edward. Mrs. Dwyer."

"Please, I'm just Renée," Mom laughed. "Planning a wedding is a pretty first name terms business." I swallowed. I really didn't like the sound of that.

"Callie's got the most amazing sense in clothes and things," Alice added eagerly. "Considering you grew up in an institution –"

"Hypocrite," Edward muttered.

"– it's amazing. We're still working on the whole 'liking shopping' thing though," Alice pouted, somehow managing to look utterly adorable while glowering at her brother out of one eye. "Can you believe them, Renée? Neither Bella nor Callie like shopping." Her face brightened. "Do you – ?"

God. Alice was going to take my mother shopping.

"Better than dragging you around the mall, isn't it?" Edward breathed in my ear. He was right, of course, but still...I winced.

"This is going to be hell," I groaned quietly as Alice and Renée carried on talking, barely a pause between them. Callie and Edward shot me practically identical amused glances.

"You only get married for the first time once," Callie told me quietly. "And before you say anything, yes; I have been spending too much time with Alice."

"Just wait until you start thinking matching accessories really matter," I replied sadly. I felt Edward's chest shaking with laughter looked up at him. "What?"

"You two," he snickered. "Callie, you are such a member of our family already."

The shock on Callie's face was quickly replaced by amazement, and then a shy joy that I couldn't help but smile at. "Thank you," she replied. And the smile spread across her face, lighting those bronze eyes with a happiness I hadn't seen in them before.

Alice cleared her throat loudly. "That's enough chit-chat," she ordered us loftily. "We have a wedding to plan."

I titled my head to see Edward, found the same resignation I felt reflected in him. "All right," I sighed. "Alice, I was thinking...do you think we'll be able to fit in an extra bridesmaid?"

I watched my words register on Callie's face, saw the moment that realization dawned. The tears that made her eyes shine now had nothing to do, I knew, with sadness; and the dark-haired girl sought out my fingers with her own, squeezed them tightly. She was speechless; but her eyes spoke more eloquently than words ever could.

For the second time in as many days, I found myself almost looking forward to my wedding.

xox

Oddly enough, the morning flew by. Edward received a call on his cellphone which apparently confirmed that the flight from England was getting in at four, at which Alice gave a squeal of joy and told us – to my horror – that we'd be able to fit in a few more hours of wedding plans. Edward looked pained, but there was no way I was going to let him escape this if I had to sit through it.

However, Alice's plans were stalled by another phone call.

The familiar tone of the house phone rung through the house and I jumped up at once, grateful for the opportunity to escape the kitchen where Alice and Renée were holding us captive. "I've got it!" I cried triumphantly as somehow I managed to reach the kitchen door before either Edward or Callie.

"Hello?" I asked breathlessly.

"Is that you, Bella?"

"Um, Dad?" Charlie? Why would Charlie be calling? "Are you okay, Dad?"

"Fine, fine." Maybe it was the connection, but he sounded odd. Distracted, worried and – or was I imagining it? – happy. "Bella, listen..."

A long pause. "Dad? Are you still there? Dad, what's the matter?" My heart had leapt into my throat.

"No. No. I mean, yes. I –"

"Are you down at Billy's still?" I asked worriedly. "Is Billy there?" I was aware that all movement behind me in the kitchen had stopped at they listened to the conversation – or, in Renée's case, half the conversation.

"I'm at Billy's, but I'm leaving. Bella..."

I waited, gnawing on my lip.

"Bella, Jacob's back."

**A/N: To everybody who wants to kill me right now for reintroducing Jacob…sorry! But I do still love him – although I have accepted he and Bella are not meant to be. To Brealuvsu…here he is (happydance)! :D**

**Please review…even if it's to say you're mad at me lol. Or offer any suggestions about what I could do to Jacob…kill him? Ideas welcome…but I warn you that I may ignore them. I like Jacob (**_**don'tkillmedon'tkillme**_**). Keep reading – I promise it'll end up all right!**

**Ooh, and I might post the next chapter tomorrow to make up for missing a few days if I get say…10 reviews. If i have time, but no promises. So you know what to do! xxx :)**


	20. How much it means

**A/N: Hmph. Didn't get as many reviews as I'd have liked pouts, but thanks to those who did leave me a message. I don't know if it's my email or not, but I don't seem to be getting the messages that tell me when I have reviews/alerts etc., so I can't remember if I replied to all the reviews I did get or not. I might have replied to some twice, too…oh well. Hope you enjoy this chapter – I loved writing it. xxx :)**

**Chapter 20**

Nobody spoke for a very long time.

The only sounds I could hear were the clock ticking away steadily on the wall and the pounding of my heart in my chest. Even Renée, unaware of what was going on, was quiet, the oppressive silence bearing down on us all like a smothering blanket. I don't think any of us knew what to say, what to do, how to react.

"Bella? Bella, are you still there?"

Dad's voice, a little tinny through the received, had me jumping, and I snatched the phone back up to my ear. "Yeah, Dad...I have to go. I'll see you later, bye," I babbled as I slammed the receiver back down, stared at it.

Still nobody spoke. Then –

"Edward," I murmured, and he was there. I turned my face into him, felt his arms around me as I breathed deeply of his scent, calming myself with his closeness and the all-consuming love radiating from him.

"Bella, I don't –" Renée began, then stopped. I took another calming breath of Edward's scent before turning to her.

"Jacob's home, Mom." I couldn't remember how much I'd told her, whether she knew Jacob was in love with me, that I loved him too...I clutched Edward tighter.

"All right." Renée stood, began pushing the sheets and catalogues on the table together into a pile. "We'll finish this another time. Go on then," she added as I just stared at her. "You need to go, Bells, whether you talk to him or not. There's obviously something you have to sort out."

I nodded slowly. "I..." Something clicked, and I found myself nodding. "Yes. Thanks, Mom. I love you."

Renée smiled. "I know. Go on, love."

"We should probably be off too," Alice apologized to my Mom. "It's been so much fun; we'll definitely have to do it again."

Renée nodded but I could sense worry behind her smile, probably because of the expression I knew was on my face. "That would be lovely, Alice. This wedding is going to be wonderful." She turned those concerned eyes on me. "Everything's all right, isn't it, Bella? You'd tell me if there was something wrong?"

Um... "It's fine, Mom. Just something I need to sort out." I smiled encouragingly. "Love you. See you later."

"I'll see you soon, Bella," Edward told me when we were outside. I stopped dead, mouth dropping open.

"You're...you're not coming with me?"

He shook his head slowly. "I wouldn't help anything, Bella. But don't worry, I'll be close.""I can't go over there by myself!" I wailed. "It'll look..." I didn't know how it would look, but I knew I didn't want to do it.

"Who _is_ Jacob?" Callie asked tentatively. "I'm a little confused..." That pulled me up dead. It seemed impossible that she wouldn't know who Jacob was, but then again, how could she?

"He's Billy's son," Alice explained quickly. "And he was Bella's best friend – well, a bit more complicated than that. He's...been away for a few weeks, since he got the wedding invitation..." She bit her lip.

Callie's eyebrows flew up. "Billy's son?" she asked. "Then is he...?"

Edward nodded curtly. "Right."

"Then that means..."

Alice nodded. "We think so."

I had a feeling I was missing something, but right then I didn't care. "I can't go over there by myself!" I wailed again.

"You won't have to," Callie told me. "You'll be taking me back...and coincidentally bumping into him at the same time. No obligation to stay and chat if you don't want to, no awkwardness if he's gone out again. Okay?"

I stared at her with an expression akin to awe. "I knew we kept her for a reason!" I exclaimed happily.

"I thought it was so Alice could have a permanent shopping buddy," Edward murmured, and Callie's face visibly paled. "Only teasing, Callie. Don't worry."

"That's what you think," Alice muttered darkly. "We'll see you two later, then."

Just before I climbed into my truck, Edward caught my face between his hands. "I'll be close if you need me," he murmured.

"Thank you." I reached up to kiss him. "I love you, Edward."

He held my gaze with those beautiful topaz eyes a moment longer. "I love you too, Bella. Whatever happens."

"Nothing's going to happen, Edward." I tapped the ring on my finger, something I seemed to be doing a lot recently. "This is how much I love you, remember? And that's not going to change. You're everything," I added softly.

"You have no idea how much that means to me," Edward replied.

"I think I do," I murmured.

xox

I half hoped – and instantly hated myself for that cowardice – that Jacob wouldn't be there when I pulled up in my truck outside Billy's house. Sensing my mood, Callie remained silent beside me, until eventually she must have felt it was growing too long as she murmured, "Bella…"

This was ridiculous. I slammed out of my truck, barely noticing Callie flit silently behind me as I stormed up to the door.

It opened before I reached it.

Even though I knew he was back, it was still a shock to see him. Like a slap in the face, or walking into a solid brick wall.

In the time he'd been away, Jacob had changed. Not as much as I might have expected given the lifetime it seemed he had been gone, but still I suppose I had thought to see him exactly as he had been last. He was thinner, certainly, the muscles that rippled in every movement steel hard from constant life outdoors. The sun had turned his skin an even deeper bronze; his black hair had been hacked shorter so that it now framed his face scruffily in a style that oddly suited him.

My heart stopped briefly – and then carried on as normal.

"Bella," he murmured, voice warming around that one word as his dark eyes sought out mine, searching for something I couldn't give him as one moment stretched out into an agonizing lifetime.

Then that gaze flickered up – slid past me.

Jacob froze, eyes widened, darkened. His nostrils flared briefly.

"Jacob –" His name caught in my throat from lack of use, "Jacob, this is Callie…" I turned to her, found the words dying away into silence.

Callie's eyes were fixed unswervingly on Jacob's face; she didn't even glance at me as I made the introduction. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out as her lips trembled. Instead she simply nodded, eyes massive, in answer to a question I had not heard, could not understand.

Jacob stepped past me. It was as though neither could see me, as if their world had frozen and time stopped to include just the two of them. I felt something deep within me stir angrily. Jealousy? I crushed it, but couldn't quite help the flicker of sorrow, wistfulness, at everything I could have had. Jacob wasn't the one I had pledged my heart and my life to, but he was the one boy whom I had seriously considered leaving Edward for. The one boy whom I knew I could have had happiness with, had I not met Edward first, so now his utter unconsciousness to my presence…it hurt, I admitted to myself. It hurt.

I looked back at Callie. The girl's eyes lifted as Jacob towered over her; he took her hand, ridiculously tiny in his, and pressed it wordlessly to his cheek.

In that moment, I knew that he was hers.

I don't know how long the three of us stood there. I don't know if it was for a few seconds, or hours, or an eternity. But I did know that it wasn't my moment; a page had been turned and the pen was racing away, its first words: _Act One, Scene One. Jacob comes home and meets Callie…_

And falls in love.

I knew the look in his eyes all too well. It was the look in Edward's eyes whenever he looked at me; it was the embodiment of the way I felt towards my vampire. As though Jacob was seeing the whole world laid out before him, sparkling and new, perfect now that Callie was there.

Suddenly Jacob glanced at me, and it was as if the spell were shattered. The guilt, the uncertainty in his face had my heart aching for him, but I forced my lips to form a smile. "It's good to have you back, Jake," I managed, reaching out to touch his warm hand – I'd forgotten how hot his skin was. "Call me sometime. I've missed you."

Then I turned to Callie. "Look after him," I warned. Her eyes met mine, and she nodded. Just once, but it was enough. I could see her world shining in her eyes as well, and my heart was breaking with an agony of joy for her and for Jacob. And then I turned away and walked back to my truck, head proud even though, peculiarly, I was shaking on the inside.

**A/N: Just thought I'd point out now that Callie and Jacob are NOT related. That would just be weird.**


	21. What you're thinking

**A/N: Thanks for the great response to last chapter! Just thought I'd say it here, as I don't know if I made it obvious enough, but Callie AND Jacob imprinted on **_**each other**_** – a mutual imprint thing. Probably not possible in SM's world, but hey. This one's mine.**

**It's also a nice long chapter. Hope you enjoy it xxx :)**

**Chapter 21**

I hadn't driven more than two hundred metres down the road when Edward stepped out of the trees to my left. I slammed my foot down on the brake and slid to a halt beside him, close enough to see the concern on his perfect face. I loved him so much, I told myself. So why did I feel so sad over Jacob?

"Bella." He was in the truck beside me, leaning over to enfold me in those cold, familiar arms. "Bella, my love, what did he do to you?"

"Nothing." The absolute truth of that single word had my voice cracking, the tears I had vowed to hold back pooling in my eyes as I blinked furiously. _I wouldn't cry, I wouldn't cry over Jacob in front of Edward._ "Absolutely nothing."

A frown creased that perfectly smooth brow. "Bella, love, I don't understand. Didn't you see him? Wasn't he there?"

"No, he was there." I swallowed back a sob, leant my head back against the headrest as I turned to study Edward. He was so adorably confused, and I felt a fresh surge of love for him. _This_ was who I was in love with; my vampire, my fiancé, my Edward. The one who made my heart stop, who I would willingly relinquish that beat for. Whereas Jacob...my heart might skip upon seeing him, but then it had returned to normal. Edward was my life.

"Tell me what's wrong, love," he begged me, topaz eyes pleading. "Tell me what you're thinking."

I smiled at his earnest, worried expression. "I'm thinking how much I love you," I told him honestly. His face registered surprise, and he opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off. "Jacob...he's back," I told him, serious now. "And it was a shock, seeing him, but there was..." I struggled for the right words. "It wasn't the same, Edward. He's not you; he's not the one I want to spend my eternity with.

"But it still hurt," I added under my breath.

We sat in silence for a long moment, and I was aware of the tears leaking down my cheeks. Edward understood, and I was pathetically grateful. I just needed a while to gather my thoughts before explaining.

"Jacob's imprinted," I blurted at last.

"He – oh, Bella." Cold fingers sought out might, held them tightly. Then he added hesitantly, "Is she...did he bring her with him?"

I stared at him for a moment. "You don't...?" But how could he know? I took a deep breath. "Edward, it's...it's Callie. They looked at each other and it was like he didn't even know I was there, didn't even realize..." The tears were flowing freely now, and I was immeasurably grateful as Edward wrapped me in his arms again silently as I clung to him sobbing.

"He couldn't help it, Bella," he told me softly. "He didn't mean to ignore you like that. He wouldn't have done it on purpose."

I was so shocked that Edward was defending Jacob – _Edward _was defending _Jacob_ – that I stopped crying, stared at him in absolute incredulity. He chuckled softly.

"I know, I never thought I'd ever say anything good about him either," Edward smiled crookedly. "But I've read his mind, and I know how much he cares for you. That's probably the main reason I hated him so much," he admitted. "That, and the whole mortal enemy thing."

I grinned. "So you only hated him because _you_ were being hypocritical and judgmental," I summed it up. "And racist."

He made a face. "Pretty much. You tell him I said that, though, and I'll..."

"You'll what?" I teased. "Cancel the wedding?"

"Not a chance, love. You're not getting out that easily." He planted a kiss on the tip of my nose. "No, I'll film you sleep-talking and have it projected on a massive screen at the wedding. Or put it on the internet," he added as an afterthought.

"You wouldn't dare!" I gasped. His lips curved into a smile against my skin as he planted small kisses along the line of my jaw.

"Watch me," he murmured, hovering a hair's breadth from my mouth.

I was almost sure he wouldn't, but I wasn't taking any chances and claimed his mouth in a kiss. When finally I drew back, breathless, he refused to relinquish his hold on me so that his smile was a sweet curve against my lips. "You've almost persuaded me," he told me.

"Almost?" I pulled away huffily.

"All right, I'm convinced," Edward laughed. "Come on; let's get you home for lunch. The werewolves are arriving in Port Angeles at four, and I don't expect the Denali coven to be too much later. Sometime early tomorrow morning at the latest, I'm guessing."

He sat back in the passenger seat and I fired up the engine of my truck. "Aren't we expecting the other werewolf first?" I asked, confused.

"Bella," Edward pointed out gently, "what do you think Jacob's doing here?"

"Oh..._oh_." I knew that I was blushing furiously, but I kept my eyes firmly on the road, refused to look at Edward. "I didn't...realize."

Edward's cool fingers wrapped around mine where they held the steering wheel, squeezed briefly. "It's all right, Bella. You think of Jacob – first and foremost – as a friend, not a werewolf."

"Racist," I teased him.

"Sleep-talker," he retorted. I decided to shut up.

xox

As soon as we set foot in the Cullens' mansion, we were bombarded with family and questions.

"Is Jacob really back?"

"Is he definitely the one Callie saw?"

"Where _is_ Callie?"

"What happened?"

"Jacob imprinted on Callie," Edward told them.

There was a silence.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Esme exclaimed. "Isn't it?" I caught the glance she threw at me and pasted a smile on my face.

"I'm really glad," I told them.

"Are you sure, Bella?" Alice asked me worriedly. "Jacob –"

"I'm happy for him," I insisted. "I really am."

Edward's finger flickered out to catch the lone tear rolling down my cheek on his fingertip. He brought it to his lips tasted, and our eyes met. I knew he understood.

"What about Callie?" Alice asked curiously. "Do female werewolves imprint too? Leah hasn't yet, so..."

"It was pretty much simultaneous," I mumbled. "At least, that's how it looked."

"Oh. Right." An uncomfortable quiet. "Would you like some lunch, Bella?" Esme asked kindly. "You must be hungry…Alice has been telling us about your morning." She tactfully avoided all mention of Jacob or Callie as she bustled around the kitchen, preparing a plateful of food for me. Edward didn't leave my side, our fingers intertwined.

"I love you, Bella," he murmured at one point.

"I love you too." And I did. I really, really did. It was just the shock of seeing Jacob again, and the absolute closure of that chapter of my life, that had me momentarily downcast, but amidst Alice and Esme's chatter, and lunch, and just being with the Cullens, my heart finished its last stage of healing of the wound Jacob had left.

I was whole again, and I was healed. The next time Jacob's name was mentioned, my heart leapt with joy that he had found somebody he could truly, truly love, and that his love would be reciprocated. It had taken a while, but I was finally completely, undeniably over Jacob, no traces of regret or wistfulness.

A smile spread across my face as I realized that this meant my best friend would be there for my wedding; and his eyes would be fixed on my final bridesmaid rather than me. The fact that she would be staring right back only made me happier.

"Earth to Bella," Emmett waved a hand in front of my face, and I blinked in time to see Edward whack him over the head.

"Leave her alone," he complained, but I only laughed.

"What's the matter, Emmett?"

"I asked if Jacob had said anything about the vampires following him," he repeated slowly.

"She's not an idiot, Emmett, you don't need to talk like that," Rosalie chided him. I blinked. Rosalie defending me?

"No, he didn't. Too busy staring into Callie's eyes, remember?" The thought made me smile up at my Edward, overjoyed that Jacob had found somebody he could love who could give him their whole heart in return.

"Stupid werewolf blood," Alice muttered. "I wish I'd seen this coming."

"Don't you like surprises, Alice?" Edward asked teasingly as he wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, rested his chin on my shoulder. I leant back contentedly.

"You were a much nicer boy," his sister replied icily, "when you were being a moody loner all the time. No offence, Bella."

"None taken." I laughed.

"Enough now, children." We all looked up to see Esme watching us fondly. "Carlisle's heard from Billy. Apparently there are eight people coming over, they're hiring a couple of cars so they should be at the reservation by about six. Of course, Callie and Jacob have phased and are God knows where at the moment, so we don't have a potential daughter for them to meet."

"Well, that's great." Rosalie folded her arms. "I mean, does Callie even know that they're coming? We haven't told her, and she hasn't said anything to suggest she has any idea whatsoever. Are we going to leave it as a surprise?" Her voice dripped sarcasm.

"Listen, Rose, we'll get there when we do. But for now, I need to tell you that Sam's requested we go down to meet the British pack at Billy's house."

That shocked us all into silence. "But…"

"Would you rather we waited to meet them in the clearing, Alice?" Edward asked. "Because you can be sure as soon as they smelt us somewhere like that, they'd attack without asking questions. If we go down to Billy's, on the pack's territory, they're more likely to feel secure enough to tolerate us."

"I _hate_ not being able to see things," Alice complained.

"We'd never have guessed," Rosalie replied sweetly.

"Stop that," Esme chided them. "Now, we –" All of the Cullens glanced up at the same time at some noise I couldn't hear. Alice was frowning, Rosalie wore a scowl, but Edward was grinning.

Then the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Edward sprang across the room with an uncharacteristic enthusiasm. He wrenched open the door, but from where I stood I couldn't see a thing. Then an oh-so-familiar voice had a grin breaking out over my face.

"Hello," Jacob greeted us. "Can we come in?"

xox

Seeing Callie and Jacob together was like watching the moon and sun revolve around each other. For every move Callie made Jacob shifted to match, for every one of Jacob's smiles Callie positively glowed. I suddenly understood what Renée had been talking about all that time ago when Edward and I had gone down to visit her in Phoenix. It really did seem as though there was a force between them, strong as gravity, making each so acutely aware of the other.

I had never seen Jacob so happy.

"What?" He caught me staring. "Do I have something on my face, Bells?" I blushed, but saw from the massive grin that spread across his face that he was joking. "Jeez, I haven't changed that much, have I?"

"You've changed enough," Edward laughed.

"I guess. Who'd have ever thought I'd end up falling in love with a bloodsucker?"

"Jake!" Callie protested.

"Sorry," he apologized with a grin. "_Half_ bloodsucker." He laughed as she prodded him in the ribs.

"I take it back," Edward murmured. "You haven't changed at all."

"And you make it sound like an insult?" I had never thought I would live to see the day Jacob and Edward would grin at one another so casually.

"Unbelievable." Alice shook her head slowly. "You only tried to punch him once, Bella?"

"I learn from my mistakes," I replied with dignity, while everybody laughed. But it _was_ unbelievable. Jacob, sitting in the Cullens' house, chatting as if there was no such distinction as _werewolf_ or _vampire_.

"This is _priceless,_" Emmett howled. "The pup goes and imprints on a girl who's not only a vampire but strong enough to actually do some damage when she punches him."

I glared at him icily. "Thanks, Emmett."

"I have no intention of punching Jake," Callie laughed. "Except in emergencies." Her eyes were dancing with a sparkle I hadn't seen in them before, and there was something entirely different about her. The wariness that had characterised every movement before was noticeable in its absence, even though I hadn't seen it before. Callie…she shone, and the adoration in the gaze she turned upon Jacob…

"So what's new since I've been gone?" Jacob's voice pulled me back to reality. "I didn't really get to talk to my dad because Charlie was there, and then Callie turned up…" His eyes were filled with blatant adulation as he brought their conjoined hands to his lips. "I didn't miss the wedding, did I?"

My heart melted. He was the sweetest thing – now that he wasn't trying to convince me not to marry Edward, anyway. "No, you didn't. It's in a couple of weeks. We've been pretty busy around here…"

My voice trailed off into silence as I realised now was probably the time to let both Jacob and Callie know what was arriving this evening.

"It was fairly quiet, actually, until Callie and now you turned up," Esme added softly. "But now we've got a lot of things happening."

"I guess vampire covens do have that effect," Jake grinned. How could he stay so blasé about it all after being hunted, apparently, all the way from Tanya's territory?

There was a short silence. "Well, it's a little more complicated than that," Alice admitted.

Jacob waited, one eyebrow raised slightly. "How so?" he prompted at last.

"Callie, we didn't tell you before because…why didn't we tell her before?" Alice turned to Esme with a frown. Her mother rolled her eyes in a gesture so un-Esme-like that I stared.

"Way to introduce the subject, love. Look, Callie, I'm not sure how to say this…" She took a deep breath.

""Don't freak, okay?"

I noticed Callie's grip on Jacob's hands tighten at Emmett's words, her eyes widen. "What's going on? What aren't you telling us?"

"Billy thinks he might know who your mother is, Callie." Edward spoke quietly, but Callie recoiled as if she'd been slapped. "He's contacted her family, and –"

"I don't want to know." Violent rage flared in Callie's eyes, lips drawn back in a snarl as the girl we'd seen on the first day – feral, angry and wild – reappeared. "I don't want anything to do with her. She abandoned me, left me. Why would she want anything to do with her now? Why should _I_ want anything to do with her?"

"Callie –" I began placatingly, but to my horror tears filled those magnificent bronze eyes.

"No!" she cried, suddenly a lost child once more. "No, I don't want to see her!" And she turned to bury her face in Jacob's side.

"Listen to me, Callie," Edward started gently, but Jacob cut him off with a snarl.

"Leave her alone, bloodsucker!" he roared.

"Don't talk to my brother like that, mongrel!" Rosalie spat.

"Stay out of this, leech," Jake hissed.

"How dare you talk to my wife like that!" Emmett surged to his feet in one sudden, angry movement. Jacob sprung up to face him.

"I'll speak however I like!" he growled.

It looked very much as if the entire situation was about to explode. I could only look on, utterly helpless, as the two sized each other up, while Edward's arms tensed around my waist as if to grab me and run. The truce would be down the drain, there'd be an all-out war in Forks –

And then my cellphone rang.

**A/N: Aren't Callie and Jacob cute? tell me what you think xxx :)  
**


	22. Don't cry, sweetheart

**A/N: After all the reviews I got, I'm starting to think you didn't like the end of the last chapter. Oops…cliffhanger. Oh well. Here's the next chapter for you, as promised…enjoy. xxx :) **

**Chapter 22**

I pulled it out of my pocket and stared at it a moment before answering.

"Hi Mom…yes, I'm at the Cullens'."

It was really weird. The room was a frozen tableau, as if I'd pressed _pause_ in the moment before a fight scene in a film. It was probably one of the strangest situations I'd ever found myself in, and speaking as me – hello, Bella Swan here – that was really saying something. Emmett and Jacob's eyes swivelled to watch me as I sat there on the phone to Renée, like great warriors carved from stone in the moment before entering a battle.

"Um, Mom, it's not really a good time…yes, she's here. I don't think…Seriously, it's not –" I sighed. "All right, I'll ask her." I covered the end of the phone. "Callie, my Mom was wondering if you like blue or pink better?"

She stared at me, open-mouthed. "Um…blue?"

"Blue. Why, Mom?" I spoke back into the cellphone. "Oh. All right. Look, Mom, I really have to – okay. I'll see you later."

I was aware that my cheeks were flaming as I hung up. "My Mom's got a new hobby," I mumbled. "She's learning to make bracelets."

Alice choked on a laugh. "She's very good," she informed me with a dead-pan face.

"Please sit back down, boys," Esme interrupted mildly. "You do look ridiculous standing there like that."

They looked at one another, and then suddenly Emmett began to laugh. Jacob quickly followed and they sat back down looked somewhat rueful. Jake, I noticed, drew Callie closer to him automatically and with a tenderness that was lovely to watch. Rosalie folded her arms with a huff.

"Callie, dear, would you let us explain?" Esme ventured tentatively. "It's not as simple as it sounds…"

The girl glanced up at Jacob before – much to my surprise – looking to me as if for confirmation. I nodded slowly.

"All right." She leant her head into Jake's shoulder, his arm coming up around her in a simple gesture of total adoration that I couldn't help but smile at. "I'll listen, but I don't have to promise to like it, do I?"

"You're not going to like it," Edward told her softly. "Callie…we don't know the full story. We've only got what Billy remembers, what the woman he contacted told him. It starts with Deandra…"

I didn't really listen as Edward related what we knew, instead watching their faces as they heard the story for the first time. Callie's mouth was set in a little 'o' of shock, eyes massively round in her pale face, while Jacob's expression was stony. When Edward explained that the family was coming over to see if Callie was their daughter, I was startled to see the girl's eyes fill with tears once more.

"They…they want to see me?" she whispered. "They want to see me?" Diamond sparkles overflowed to trickle in twin streams down her cheeks, and instantly Jacob's face went from blank to panicked.

"Don't cry, sweetheart," he begged her. "Please, please no tears."

I had to look away, tears welling up in my own eyes, and my gaze met Edward's.

"So when…when are they coming?" Callie managed at last after she had stopped crying. Jacob had wiped her tears away with a tenderness that reminded me so much of Edward.

"This evening," Edward replied quietly. "We're all going down to the reservation at six to meet them."

"And when were you going to say anything about it?" Jacob asked us calmly. "I mean, we've got a vampire coven coming sometime tonight too…" His eyes widened. "That's not going to be good, is it?"

Alice giggled. "Not especially, no. Did we tell you that it's Tanya's coven following you? One of whom was involved with Laurent, the vampire you killed, and they want to wipe all werewolves off the face of the planet."

"No, I don't think you did." Wow. Jacob _had_ changed; the old one would never have been able to sit there so calmly. "Why the _hell_ didn't you tell me any of this before?" he roared. Okay, maybe not.

"Jake, stop it," Callie ordered. He turned his puppy-dog eyes on her, but calmed down at once. _This imprinting thing really must work_, I thought.

"Jacob, you only got back a little while ago," I replied mildly. "And then you two ran off somewhere..."

"I'm assuming you haven't seen Sam yet?" Esme added. "He knows all about it. Didn't he contact you when you got closer to Forks?"

"I phased back," Jacob told her dismissively. "Your scents were messing up my nose, I kept thinking the bloodsuckers had caught up with me already."

"Terribly sorry," Rosalie sniffed.

"Should be." Jacob grinned, and Rosalie looked absolutely flabbergasted. Her eyes narrowed and she jabbed an elbow into Emmett's side as he failed to suppress a chuckle.

"Sorry, Rose," he mumbled.

"I don't want to sound like we want to get rid of you, Jacob..." Esme's words trailed off, and the werewolf winced.

"Yeah. We should probably go let Sam know what's going on. He kind of picked up that we'd imprinted, and changed back into a human..."

"Right." Jasper coughed. "We'll see you guys later, then? And Callie, don't worry."

"I'm not –" She caught Jasper's meaningful stare, and sighed. "All right. I'll try."

"Good girl." He smiled suddenly, an unexpected expression on Jasper's face.

"Bella, may I have a word?" Jacob spoke as we all stood up, to my utter surprise. Edward froze, a slight growl sounding in his throat. "Don't worry, I'm not going to let her kiss me," Jake grinned. I was speechless.

"You wish, pup," Edward replied.

"He really doesn't," Callie interrupted smugly.

"Oh." If Edward could blush, he would be doing so now. "We'll be outside, Bella."

Jacob drew me to one side, hopefully out of earshot of the vampires. "Bella, I just wanted to say..." He lowered his eyes. "I'm sorry. For – for everything. I could see how he felt about you, but I still –"

"Jacob." I took his hand in mine. "It's all right. I understand."

"I missed you, Bella," he told me earnestly. "But then I came back, and..."

"You've got Callie," I finished for him. "I'm so happy for you, Jake. Honestly. I missed you too, but..." I let my words trail into silence.

Jacob cocked his head to one side with a rueful grin. "I get it. I'm not Edward."

"Jake..."

"No, it's all right. I hate to say it, but I'm kind of glad you've got Edward. Because if not...well, I've got Callie now." His dark eyes went all dreamy, and I found myself grinning for him. "It goes deeper than what Sam and Emily have. I've seen that, but this is like..." I stayed silent, smiling at him as he struggled for words with that adoring expression plastered on his face. "It's like she's my other half, especially when we're both phased, because it's just _one_ mind. But not like being with the pack..."

"I get it, Jake," I grinned. "You're in love with her."

That smile spread even wider across his face. "I really am," he replied. "Sorry to break your heart, Bells."

"My heart's fine," I scoffed. "It's yours I was worried about." I became suddenly serious, staring at our joined hands as I tried to work out what to say. "Jake...I have to say this. Callie's only thirteen, so...be careful with her." I lifted my eyes to his, felt my cheeks flush.

"What are you suggesting, Bells?" His eyebrows flew up into that shaggy mass of dark hair and he laughed, running one thumb across my pink cheek. "Some things don't change, Bells," he murmured. "Like you and Edward. That's a constant, and I can see it now." That mischievous grin returned. "I'm guessing by that blush he's still a prude. I'm not like him, Bells, but I'm not crazy either. I know Callie's still young...too young."

I brought both hands up to cover the burn in my cheeks. "I just meant...she's been through a lot. At the home –"

"She told me."

I was stopped dead in my tracks. "She told you?"

Jacob tapped his forehead with one finger. "Hard not to, actually, but she seemed okay with it."

For some reason that brought tears to my eyes. "She...opened her mind to you? Wasn't worried about it?"

"Bella." Jacob took both my hands back in his. "We imprinted. We're life-mates, soul-mates, call it what you will, but whatever it is she's everything to me. No secrets, right? And she feels the same way."

"Are you sure?" I blurted.

Jake just chuckled, tapped his forehead again. "I've been in that pretty little head of hers, Bella. I know what she's thinking about me..."

I was blushing again, and I knew it. "Sicko," I shot at him.

"True. Leech-lover," he returned.

"Hypocrite," I laughed. God, I'd missed Jacob. He made a face now.

"Very true. But Bella, like I said I've been in her head, and I want to say thanks. For everything you've done for her..."

I shook my head to stall him. "It was nothing," I replied. "She's amazing, Jake. And she's perfect for you." The sincerity I felt rung in every word, and before I knew it Jacob had drawn me close into a bone-crushing hug.

"Thanks, Bells." His voice sounded slightly muffled, but that was probably just because I was crushed to his chest.

"No problem. Doesn't Callie's smell bother you?"

Jacob wrinkled his nose. "Don't tell Cullen, but I think I'm starting to like it," he confessed. "Everything about Callie...she's prefect, Bella."

"I'm glad," I whispered. "Go on, you're keeping her waiting."

The grin almost split his face as he gave me one last hug. "You're the best, Bells."

I followed him outside, took my place at Edward's side with his arm around me as Jacob went straight to Callie and took her hand. Their eyes met for a long moment, a slight flush of pretty pink rising to the girl's cheeks, before they turned as one to face us.

"See you about six, then? Billy's place," Callie called.

"Of course, dear. Don't worry," Esme replied.

The couple headed towards the forest together; one tiny, one tall, as different as night and day and yet it was so clear that they were meant for each other. Just before they disappeared between the trees, Jacob stopped and half-turned to face us.

"Hey, Cullen," he called. "Does the wedding invitation still stand?"

Edward dipped his head slightly in confirmation, and my heart soared.

"Great, we'll be there. Don't pine for me, Bella!" And they vanished together, laughter echoing back towards us as Edward started forward in irritation.

"Wait for it –" Alice murmured, holding her brother back with one hand.

Even I heard the solid _thwack_ and Jake's complaint. "Ouch! What was that for, Callie?"

We all laughed, and it was as if a weight had been lifted off my heart as I leant contentedly back against Edward's marble chest with his arms around me.

"Don't tell him," I heard Emmett mutter behind me, "but I'm starting to like that Jacob kid."

"I won't tell if you won't," Jasper laughed.

**A/N: Cliffhanger? No. Love me for it? xxx :)**


	23. Not sorry at all

**A/N: Whee! i've reached 200 reviews! Sorry, I was going to post this chapter yesterday but then it was speech day (prizegiving) and open day and prom. I think school hates people having actual lives. But anyway, here it is... xxx :)**

**Chapter 23**

"Bella, love, stop fussing." Edward took both of my hands in his own, brought them one at a time to his lips to brush soft kisses across my palms. "You're making Jasper twitch."

I laughed nervously, glancing apologetically towards his brother. Nonetheless, I still couldn't cease my anxiety even with Edward at my side and the apparent tranquility of every other person in the room.

"It'll be all right, Bella," Jacob added, lifting his eyes from their intent study of Callie's face for just a moment. "Nothing's going to happen to anybody."

Right. Easy enough for him to say, happy-go-lucky Jacob with his massive muscles and quick healing and wolf pack. Easy enough for the Cullens to sit around as though they had not a care in the world as we waited in Billy Black's house for the werewolves to arrive. Werewolves which could, potentially, attack the Cullens and kill my fiancé before anybody had a chance to stop them.

"Sam isn't going to let anything happen," Callie added confidently. "So they'd have to get through the pack before they even got anywhere near the Cullens."

"Thanks, Callie, but we don't exactly need protecting." Emmett's teeth glittered whitely in his smile, muscles rolling in his shoulders as he flexed his arms. "I bet we could take on any pack of measly werewolves –"

"Thank you, Emmett, but we're not about to find out," Carlisle interrupted sternly as Jacob growled automatically.

"Cease, Jake," Callie added sweetly.

To my amusement, Jacob stopped at once. The little dark-haired girl at his side had him wrapped around her tiny finger in a way I could never have imagined. Despite that, he was still capable of shooting her an exasperated glance, although even that came as he lifted her hand to brush his lips over her knuckles, fingers of his other hand lingering just beneath her chin.

At my side, Edward let out a short groan. "Jake, could you please stop that? You're projecting. And then there's Jasper..." He glared at his brother.

"Sorry, Edward." Jacob smile sunnily as Callie blushed furiously.

"You're not sorry at all," Edward muttered.

Jake threw him a grin. "Really?"

Alice rolled her eyes – loudly, if that was even possible. "You poor, poor thing, Callie," she sighed. "At least Bella had a choice...but now you're stuck with him. I'm so sorry."

Callie tilted her head to look up at Jake, that wave of shimmering blue-black hair falling across her face but still not hiding the glitter of her bronze eyes. "I don't know," she replied. "I kind of like him."

"Love is blind," Rosalie murmured, but there was a smile lighting her beautiful face. "Look what _I_ got lumped with."

"Rose!" Emmett protested, but she just laughed and lifted one hand to his face.

"Isn't spending time with the family wonderful?" Edward breathed glumly in my ear, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Edward!" Esme chided him.

"That's not nice!" Alice pouted, before glancing at me for an objection.

I was too busy thrilling at his use of the term _family_; our family, one he had expanded – consciously or not – to include Callie and, to a lesser extent perhaps, Jacob. But yet it was so true; all of us seemed to fit together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, even Jacob, with such ease that I wondered at how we had never all got on like this before.

It had been like this ever since we had arrived at Billy's house earlier in the afternoon. Edward had insisted on me having a short sleep between Jacob and Callie leaving and our own departure of the Cullens' mansion, which I had protested against more out of form than anything else. Now, I was incredibly glad he had coerced me into it, as otherwise I would probably have been dozing already.

Indeed, we'd arrived to find Callie curled up on the couch, where I assume she had fallen asleep after returning to the house as Jacob took up his vigil at her side immediately after letting us in. I swear he didn't take his eyes off her once until she woke, dark eyelashes fluttering against bronzed skin as she reached out with one searching hand. My heart had leapt again with joy to see Jacob take that small hand with a gentleness I had never seen in him before, even as he glared about the room as if daring any of the Cullens to comment on it.

Billy had gone long before, accompanying Jared in his car – it still made me laugh to imagine Jacob's hulking friend hunched into a vehicle – for the long drive to the airport. It had been agreed previously that we weren't going to risk the British pack just turning up of their own steam, particularly with the increased likelihood of them coming across the Cullens' scent on their way with nobody to explain things.

The sudden clangour of the clock striking six had me jumping in my seat, much to the hilarity of the others in the room. Only Edward didn't laugh, settling his arms around me; but I knew his lips were twitching into that crooked smile, _my_ smile. "Where are they?" I demanded.

Right on cue, the house phone rang.

Jacob flashed across the room faster than my eyes could follow. "Hello?" I was struck again by how much he appeared to have changed in the weeks he'd been gone. Even his voice seemed deeper, richer as he stood, idly running his fingers through his thick, dark hair so that the muscles in his arm rippled. If any trace of the boy Jake had been had remained when he left, they were all gone now. "Right."

Edward's breath tickled my ear as he leant down. "They're just entering the reservation," he murmured. Perhaps it was his breath on my skin, or perhaps it was the words he spoke, but a shiver ran down my spine.

"It'll be fine, Bella," Carlisle spoke softly from the other side of the room. "Everything will be fine." How many times had I heard that before?

My eyes flickered to Callie's face. Although her features appeared serenely composed, I could tell by the way her eyes flashed and darted, and how her fingers had twisted the couch's throw, that she was terrified. "Callie –" I began, but Jacob got there first. His massive arms drew her to him like she was a doll, but no doll had ever been treated with such care or tenderness.

"It's all right, sweetheart," he assured her. "Nobody's going to hurt you. Nobody's going to make you do anything you don't want to, or by God I'll rip their f –"

"Jacob, dear," Esme interrupted. "No need to expand on that."

"Sorry." Wow. Jacob even looked genuinely shame-faced. "The point is, Callie..."

"It's all right." Callie pressed her hand against his cheek, eyes meeting his in a moment so intimate I had to look away, my own eyes meeting Edward's instead. "I know."

"He's right, Bells," Edward murmured. "It's going to be fine." His magnificent eyes locked on mine, and he dipped his head towards me –

"Jeez," Emmett complained. "Everybody's kissing everybody."

"Emmett," Rosalie told him tartly, "Shut up."

"Like _you_ have anything to complain about, Emmett," Jasper added sourly. "It's not like _you_ have to deal with what they're feeling..."

Watching Edward not-blush is becoming once of my favourite hobbies, I think. He's always gorgeous, but when he's embarrassed it makes me feel a little bit less of an idiot for blushing all the time.

"You embarrassed Edward, Jasper," Rosalie smiled sweetly. "Tell me, what was he feeling that he shouldn't have been?"

"That's enough, Rose," Carlisle told her firmly, but I could have sworn I saw his lips twitch into a barely suppressed smile. I furiously avoided Edward's gaze.

"Can't they hurry up and arrive already?" Edward complained plaintively.

"Can't Eddie take being teased?" Emmett mocked.

"_Don't_," I think Edward actually ground his teeth together, "call me _Eddie._"

"Don't you like having a nickname?" Jacob asked innocently.

Edward growled, and Jake looked delighted, and I sighed. Maybe they weren't bitter enemies any more, but I still didn't need to be Alice to foresee a long future of Edward-Jacob baiting. "Boys, be nice," Esme chided. Both looked suitably contrite, but their eyes flashed in matching rebellion.

Neither, however, had a chance to say anything more as a cacophony of wolf howls split the air outside.

"What was that?" I demanded, clinging to Edward and not ashamed to admit I was terrified.

"That was the pack." Jacob spoke slowly, as if explaining something to an old, deaf or stupid person, and I bristled.

"I know _that_," I hissed. "I meant what was it for? Why are they howling, has something gone wrong, has – ?"

"Relax, love," Edward murmured in my ear, arms snaking about my waist to hold me more securely in his lap. "They're just greeting the visitors."

"They're nearly here." All my fear flew straight out the window as I saw the stark terror in Callie's dark eyes, written in every plane of her face. "My...family's nearly here."

"They might not –" Jasper began soothingly, but the gaze Callie turned on him was scathing.

"Don't give me that, Jasper," she replied scornfully. "You know as well as I do that the chance of this being coincidence in infinitesimal. This _is_ the pack I was born to."

"Callie, we can stay with Sam's pack if you want to," Jacob told her earnestly. "But if you want us to join them, we –"

Perhaps he hadn't noticed the easy slip into the use of the word _we_, but I did. It was this, I think, that made me see clearer than I could have comprehended before, that Callie and Jacob were indeed two halves of a whole. As he had claimed before; life-mates, soul-mates, forever.

Edward's lips nuzzled my ear. "I'm happy for them too," he breathed. "Are you certain you're –"

"Edward," I cut him off by twisting around to lay a finger across his lips, "I'm fine."

"Good." He kissed my finger gently, and his brothers cringed in unison. "Shut up, Emmett, Jasper." They grumbled under their breaths, but we ignored them as I snuggled down contentedly in Edward's arms.

My moment of bliss lasted barely more than a minute before every occupant of the room – excluding, of course, me – looked up to the window.

"What?" I demanded fearfully.

"They're here," Callie replied, her voice laced with just as much dread.

"What now?" Jacob asked, his smoothly muscled arms drawing Callie just as close as he could possibly hold her.

"We wait," Carlisle told us firmly. "Until they're all unloaded. They're going to let us know when they want us to come out, so they can prepare the pack – the British pack."

"Why not in here?"

Jacob turned an amused glance on me. "Have you any idea how much it stinks in here right now?" he sniggered insultingly.

"Well, _you_ said –" I began hotly, but he cut me off with a glare.

"Bells!" he protested quickly. Behind me, Edward chuckled quietly and Jake turned his glower on my fiancé. "Mind-leech," he added under his breath.

"Jake, can you please –" I stopped when the low rumble of a car's engine reached my ears; growing louder and closer until I was certain of two things; one, there was more than one car; and two, they were right outside the house.

"They're here," Callie breathed.

In the silence that had fallen over the Blacks' living room, I could hear footsteps and voices outside. A short laugh; a low growl. Then Billy's voice, a soft rumble as I supposed he explained quickly why his house stunk of vampire. Finally, his voice lifted so that we – I – could hear what he was saying.

"Jake, come on," he called. "Carlisle...Bella. Come on. Callie, there are some people here you really need to meet."

My eyes darted across the room to meet hers; they were wide and terrified. But they only held mine for a fraction of a moment before sliding on to Jacob's, and that second of contact between them – between life-mates, soul-mates, two halves of a whole – seemed to give her the strength she needed.

Callie took a deep breath. "We're coming," she called softly.

**A/N: So, they're finally here...unless I decided to add a really evil plot twist and say there was an accident so none of them actually arrived so we'll NEVER know Callie's story. Ooh...I like this idea. But no worries, I won't do it...probably xxx ;)**


	24. Where were you?

**A/N: I can't believe how many of you thought I'd actually kill off the pack before they arrived! I wasn't serious! Enjoy this chapter...with the LIVING werewolf pack xxx :)**

**Chapter 24**

Callie stopped dead in the hallway, so suddenly that I stumbled into Jacob's back before Edward could catch me. "Sorry," I mumbled, but Jake didn't even hear my apology.

"What's the matter, sweetheart?" he asked, concern lacing every syllable. "It's all right, Callie. If you don't want to go –"

"Jake." Callie cut off his panicked babble softly. "I'm okay. It's just..._I_ just..." She took a breath. "Bella."

"Callie, are you –" I was confused until Edward gently pushed me forwards to Callie's side. Jacob stood back to let me pass so that he and Edward were shoulder to shoulder behind us.

"I just..." Callie shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. Bella, will you go out with me first?"

"Sure I will." I nodded emphatically. "But what about Jacob?"

"Honestly?" Callie let out a short, nervous laugh. "I feel safer knowing he's got my back." Her eyes flickered past me, filled with such adoration I had to look away. "Besides, it'll probably look less..."

"Threatening," Jacob chuckled. "I can get that. You're safe, sweetheart," he added. "No worries, just take a deep breath and –"

Open the door.

I'm not sure what I had been expecting. Perhaps another group of massive, sun-bronzed shirtless males with bulging muscles and blank expressions just like the La Push pack. Whatever I had expected – subconsciously or otherwise – it certainly hadn't been this. I had, however, anticipated the sudden silence that fell when the door opened, everybody turning as one to stare at us.

"Well, sh –"

"Gwion," somebody snapped out automatically. "Don't swear."

I was aware that my mouth had dropped open in shock. I was equally aware of how Callie's hand gripped on mine, somehow conveying all of the terror I knew she must be feeling. God, the girl was strong, though, but she slackened her grip as soon as she heard my sharp intake of breath.

Billy cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Callie," he began gruffly, "this is –"

"My family," the girl whispered. There was no mistaking it.

I know I said it before, but whatever I was expecting it hadn't been this. Really, really hadn't been this. My eyes scanned the visitors again, mind working on overdrive just to take in the situation.

There were – I counted quickly – eight of them. Of those eight, only three were the huge men I automatically pictured werewolves as. Then there were two women, a girl and two children. The impression I got was that they were, first and foremost, family; at a second glance, I knew they were pack.

"Go on out a bit," Jacob murmured from behind us, and Callie obeyed immediately, leading us into the open driveway with the Cullens following. My gaze was drawn instantly to the largest of the men – one who did, in fact, look like he could have belonged to the La Push pack with his bronze skin and dark eyes – whose lips were drawn back in a snarl.

I felt Edward stiffen as though ready to grab me and run, heard the slight rumble of Jacob's growl, but before anybody else could react the man beside him – pale and blonde, as different in appearance to his neighbour as if they'd come from different planets – touched his arm lightly with one hand, muttering quickly under his breath in an obvious attempt to calm him.

I could sense the Cullens behind me, their presence like a wall of strength as that first, largest man took a step forward. He really was the stereotypical werewolf, so similar in appearance to Sam and Jared that I could only tell he was a stranger from his stance and clothing. Something about him, and the way the others acted towards him, told me that he was the leader of this pack.

His dark eyes rested on Callie intently. "I'm Dewayne White," he spoke just loudly enough for us all to hear, but it was clear his words were for one girl only. "You must be Callie."

The dark-haired girl at my side opened her mouth to reply, but no words came out. She closed her mouth, nodded once.

"God, there's no mistake at all," the blonde man added, a lilt of some accent I couldn't quite place colouring his words. "You're Deandra's daughter, to be sure. You're my sister's little girl." Irish.

"You're alive." One of the women – the one who'd ordered the third man not to swear a little while before – had tears sparkling in her eyes as she held a small, squirming child to her. "I never thought...never dreamed..." She clutched the child, a little angel of a girl with blonde hair and massive green eyes that stared solemnly over at us, close as though she would never let go. "You're alive. When Billy called, I didn't know...I wasn't sure. But there's no doubt. My God, I don't...I don't know what to say."

The blonde man rolled his eyes, one hand brushing lightly across the woman's shoulder with easy affection. "Wow, Ze'eva, that really is a first." And just like that the ice was broken.

I won't describe the entirety of those first few moments of confusion when Callie met her family for the first time; the family that had thought her dead for thirteen years. That initial awkwardness had been broken by the Irishman whose name I learnt was Cayne – Ze'eva's husband, and the brother of Callie's mother – but the situation was still far from simple. Needless to say, it was complicated further by the presence of the Cullens – Dewayne's first reaction led on to wariness echoed by the rest of the British pack, leaving a large space between the parties until Jake took it upon himself to lead Callie slowly forward.

At Callie's request, I followed; and because there was no way Edward was going to let me wander into the middle of an unknown werewolf pack unattended, he came too. _That_ prompted a few snarls at first, but they soon gave way to a blatant curiosity, particularly on the part of the younger ones. The two youngest, children of Ze'eva and Cayne, seemed especially interested in Edward and Callie. I carefully catalogued their names; Rylan and Liraz. While Liraz, the little blonde-haired angel, was pale like her father, her brother had their mother's darker colouring; the blue-black hair, dark eyes and bronze skin of the Quileutes.

"Mummy, she smells funny," Rylan whispered loudly.

"She does." Jacob laughed quietly so as not to scare the little boy, and I saw Ze'eva visibly relax. The other woman, however, remained staring at Callie.

"So does he," Rylan added. All of the visitors stiffened as he walked, bold as brass, to Edward and stared up at him. "What's your name?"

"I'm Edward," my fiancé replied. I could tell he was trying to hold back his surprise, almost laughed at his slow, careful movements. It was obvious – to me, anyway – that Edward was being as cautious as if he were dealing with some strange, dangerous creature, and I realized that to him children were a total unknown.

"He's a vampire," Callie added softly. "But he won't hurt you. Did you know, Rylan, that some vampires don't hurt humans?"

"Of course." The little boy waved his hand dismissively. "Like Lennox and Dugan and Isolda."

There was a long silence.

"Um...yeah." The youngest of the three men shuffled uncomfortably. "There's a small coven near us..."

"Really?" Carlisle stepped forward interestedly, his movement triggering a sudden tension among the werewolves as Cayne protectively hooked his little son back to him with one hand. That defensiveness had Carlisle's shoulders wilting slightly in frustration.

"Look, this is ridiculous," I blurted without thinking. Then blushed as everybody turned to stare at me. "Seriously, though," I added more quietly. "Nobody's going to hurt anybody here. Indefinite truce, remember?"

The werewolves and vampires glanced at each other sheepishly. Yes, they actually looked sheepish. Well, apart from Rosalie, of course, but I don't quite think she could pull it off anyway.

"Shall we start again?" Sam suggested. Up until now, he'd been standing a little further back, but now the alpha of the La Push pack took control. "We're all working together in this, so we might as well try and get on."

"That's an _excellent_ suggestion," Carlisle smiled warmly. "Who wants to start by introducing themselves?" Blank faces.

"You go," Edward replied quickly. Carlisle shot him an exasperated look.

"All right, then. I'm Carlisle Cullen, the head – for lack of a better term – of our coven. For the record, we subsist on animal blood only, and we've had a truce with the La Push werewolf pack for about fifty years now. We have no intention of breaking that truce," he added firmly.

"Sam. I lead the pack." A slightly shorter introduction from Jacob's alpha.

Dewayne White had a powerful presence and a rich, rumbling voice with a slightly Canadian accent. "Like I said, I'm Dewayne. I am...was..." He paused. "Deandra was my wife."

"I'm Callie." The girl took one hesitant step forward, hand still clasped in Jacob's. "You're...I'm..."

"My daughter," Dewayne whispered.

The wind whispered in the trees; a lone bird whistled its forlorn song before falling silent.

"How can you be certain?" Jacob broke the silence at last. "Are you sure...?"

The second woman spoke up for the first time. "We're sure," she told us quietly, stepping out of the shadow that had previously hidden her "Absolutely." She was much younger than I had initially judged her; somehow oddly ageless, but if I had to give her one I'd put her age at around seventeen. However, it wasn't that that struck me. She had massive emerald green eyes in a pale face framed by gold hair that glinted slightly red; but setting aside her colouring, she could have been Callie's mirror image. A little older, perhaps, but otherwise...

"I'm Tegan White," she announced in a soft, musical voice that reminded me so much of Callie's. "I'm Deandra's other daughter. I'm your sister, Callie."

They stared at each other for one long moment, seemingly oblivious to the rest of us. That gave me an opportunity to study the pair of them more closely; on closer inspection, I could see the differences between them but there was still an overwhelming similarity. Any doubts I'd still harboured fell away; this was Callie's family.

"I...I have a sister," she whispered. "I have a family. God," and she bit off the word abruptly, "God, I have a family."

"Yes." Tegan's bright green eyes were even brighter with tears. "You're my sister. We're your family." She swallowed, took a tentative step forward, held out one hand that was trembling almost imperceptibly. After only a slight hesitation, Callie's own slender fingers clasped those of her sister's, and it was like a bond had been sealed.

"Tegan," Callie repeated quietly. Somehow I got the impression that she was finding it easier to accept the idea of _sister_ rather than _father_.

Tegan nodded eagerly, but her eyes were still bright with tears. "I'm fifteen. And this is our cousin Zayba –" She reached out to pull the girl closer, and I saw again the familial resemblance despite this girl's baby-doll blue eyes and blonde hair combination. "– who's thirteen, same age as you. She hasn't phased yet, but –"

The blonde girl smiled cheerily, and I was taken aback at the absolute difference between the stances of Callie and Zayba. Both thirteen, but there was an innocence in those blue eyes – and in Tegan's, too – I knew would never be seen in Callie's bronze ones. Girls who should have been raised as sisters, yet flung apart by fate to live completely different lives.

"And this is Gwion," Tegan continued. "He's a kind-of cousin because his big sister Lys is married to our uncle Raoul, but they couldn't come because she's pregnant..."

"Slow down, Twink," Gwion laughed. "Don't overwhelm her." He smiled warmly at Callie, a grin so oddly infectious I caught Jake's lips twitching in return. "We're so happy to meet you," he told her earnestly.

"Welcome to the family," Ze'eva murmured. "There are quite a lot of us, but we're glad to have you."

"Callie." Dewayne's held a gentleness belied by his size, a gruffness I sensed covered the emotion he was trying to hide. "Callie, I'm so sorry – I'm sorry –" The words cracked and broke, and I could see the utter agony in his eyes.

At his words, something in Callie's face crumpled. "Why did you leave me?" she wailed. "Where _were_ you?"


	25. Run with me

**A/N: ****Time for Dewayne White to explain himself. For all of you who've been wondering about Deandra since you first heard her name, here she is...**

**Chapter 25**

From the safe, comforting circle of Edward's arms, I watched helplessly as Callie sobbed into Jacob's chest, saw the powerless grief of the pack at their inability to do anything. Jasper, too, looked utterly miserable, and Carlisle and Esme were holding a conversation in lightning-fast murmurs. Some more of the La Push pack had materialized from the depths of the surrounding forests and hung about looking uncomfortable.

Dewayne White's dark eyes were still agonized, fixed on the figures of Callie and Jacob even as his green-eyes daughter Tegan spoke quietly to him, one hand resting calmingly on his arm. I don't know what she was saying, but whatever it was had her father's eyes flickering reluctantly onto her, before he squeezed them closed for a second. Nearby, Ze'eva and Cayne stood with their children, and Gwion had his arms around Zayba. There was such a free, unconscious air of all-enveloping love around them, a sense of belonging.

I could sometimes swear that Edward _does_ know what I'm thinking, even if he can't read my mind. Now was such an example, as he bent his mouth close to my ear and murmured, "I never thought I'd say this about werewolves, Bella, but they're wonderful people. Callie's really lucky to have them as her family."

"They really love her," I replied softly.

Edward nodded, cold skin brushing across mine as his breath cooled my neck. "Struggling to accept it – they thought she was dead for thirteen years, after all – but they want her. She's been a missing shadow hanging over them; but now they've found her."

His words struck some note in me, and I gasped in realization. "They...will they want to take her back with them?"

He lowered his face to bury it in my hair. "We'll deal with that when it comes up," he told me soothingly.

"Which means they do," I breathed. I wondered briefly how it would feel to lose her, so shortly after meeting her. Such a short time; and yet she already felt like a vital part of the family, of our little group. And Jacob – God, if Callie went Jake would go too. So soon after returning, he'd be gone once more.

I turned in Edward's arms so that I could bury my face against his marble chest, wanting to feel his arms around me, breathe in the scent of him. His cool fingers stroked through my hair, that simple touch soothing me more effectively than a thousand words from anyone else.

Because he always did, Edward understood.

Whatever Callie or Jacob chose to do, Edward wouldn't be going anywhere, and that thought made my heart soar despite its former heaviness. My fiancé's arms tightened around me once more, and he pressed a kiss to my hair.

"Bella...?" I lifted my head to see Callie, eyes reddened from crying, and instantly let go of Edward to put my arms around her.

"Are you all right?" I asked. "Well, stupid question, but..."

"I'm fine." Her smile lit up her face, but I still glanced up at Jacob – hovering just behind and over her like a guardian spirit – to see how he felt about the situation. Although there was a guardedness about his eyes, he managed a smile for me, and my heart lifted again. "I'm sorry about –"

"Don't, Callie." Edward took one of her small hands in his own. "You had every right to be upset. Everybody understands." Only then did I look up and see that everyone was watching us; puzzlement and shock on some of the visitors' faces, which I guessed probably came from my humanity in such close proximity to Edward.

"Don't be sorry," Dewayne added his voice to Edward's insistence. "We should have explained. God, we should have _been _there –"

"You thought I was dead." Callie cut him off with a small smile. "I understand that. I'm sorry for shouting at you; I was just a bit..." She shrugged helplessly.

"I'm sorry," Tegan apologized contritely. "I didn't think...we've known about you all along, so for us it's _finding_ you. But you never knew, so you're having something you never knew you had dumped on you all at once."

Callie laughed softly. "It's...amazing. You have no idea...up until about a week ago, I had nothing. Now, suddenly, I've got friends –" she smiled at the Cullens and me "– and Jake, and a family. I've got a father and a sister, and three cousins and –"

"There are...um...a few more of us than that," Ze'eva interjected with a laugh. "Callie, you've got a whole family." Her smile was brilliant, even as tears pricked her eyes. "We love you, Callie. We'd never have left you here if we knew..." Her voice broke, and she cuddled her daughter close to her.

"Will you...will you explain to me what happened?" Callie asked tentatively. "I know...I know my mother's dead, but..."

It was as though a cloud passed over the sun. All light went out of the visitors' faces; a mask of pain flashed across Dewayne's face before his eyes blanked.

"Deandra," he murmured. "God, Deandra." Dewayne drew in a long, shuddering breath.

"Is there somewhere else we can do this?" Carlisle asked tactfully. As if this reminded Billy of his responsibilities as a host, Jacob's dad suddenly started wheeling himself towards the house.

"Would you like to leave your things inside for now?" he offered. "And if you'd like a drink, or something to eat..." I noticed Gwion's face in particular light up, at exactly the same time and in the same manner as Jared and some of his packmates. Billy caught this too, and sighed.

"There's food in the kitchen, boys."

"Wouldn't it be a better idea for them to head over to mine?" Sam interrupted. "Emily's been stocking food in anticipation of a visit, and the rest of us can discuss this inside."

"Sounds good, if you're sure." With sudden grins they barely waited for Sam's confirmation before turning back to head into the forest – Jared, Quil, Seth and the one I think was Brady – where they were quickly followed, after a nod from Dewayne, by Gwion and Zayba.

"It won't take all of us to explain what happened," Ze'eva added softly as she took her two children to join the boys. "I'd love to meet Emily, if that's all right, Sam." Cayne, too, laid a supportive hand on Dewayne's arm, before following his wife, so only Tegan remained standing beside her father.

"Billy, if you'd stay...?" Sam's tone was polite, but it wasn't really a question as Jacob's father had already turned back.

"You won't need all of us here either," Esme added quietly. "Would you like Bella and Edward to stay, Callie?" Her tone made it clear that the others would be leaving, which elicited a pout from Alice and a few quiet grumbles from Emmett, both of which were stopped by Carlisle's glare.

"Thank you," Callie murmured as Esme led her children firmly away.

I glanced around to note who was left as we all made our way into Billy's suddenly tiny living room; Sam stood in the corner beside Billy, while Tegan sat next to Dewayne on the couch. Carlisle also opted to remain standing, so Callie and Jacob took the remaining couch, leaving me perching on the chair arm beside Callie with Edward at my side to keep me from falling.

"Where do you want me to begin from?" Dewayne asked quietly.

"The beginning," Callie replied promptly. Her father gave a small, sad smile.

"I guessed you would," he murmured. "All right. The very beginning, then." Tegan took his hand in her own, and he smiled down at her affectionately. "Deandra and Cayne Anderson were born to a pack which made hunting werewolves their life. They sent them over to their grandparents in Canada in the hope that removing them from the instant proximity of vampires would mean they wouldn't change. It didn't work that way, and Deandra first phased the same summer my parents died and my brother and I went to live with my uncle next door to where they were living." Dewayne's eyes grew dreamy as he stared off into a memory of a summer only he could see. "Moment we set our eyes on each other, we imprinted. Fell in love."

I saw how Jacob's arm tightened about Callie, the way their faces turned together just an instant as their eyes met in recognition. Edward's fingers tightened on mine, and I glanced up to see the yearning sadness in his eyes that must have come from Dewayne's memories.

My eyes drifted about the room, and I saw the same ache in Tegan's eyes. She must have heard this same story a dozen times before, but still sat through it knowing that the ending must remain the same no matter how many times it was told. Carlisle was standing still as stone; Sam and Billy's faces were impassively blank.

Dewayne drew in a deep breath. "We married four years later; shortly afterwards my brother, Cole phased. We came across vampires every now and again, but there was nothing serious. Thirteen years ago –" His voice caught. "Thirteen years ago, we caught the scent of some vampires. Deandra was...Deandra was pregnant, so she stayed with our children while the rest of us went hunting." Sitting next to Callie, I could see the plea in Dewayne's eyes for understanding that he turned on her. "You have to understand; there were only a few of us in the pack. Deandra and myself, my brother and the girl he'd imprinted on, and Cayne. We weren't entirely sure how many vampires there were, so we couldn't risk taking too few. We took Cayne, who was only fifteen, and even Cole's mate. Dieter refused to stay behind," he added with a humourless chuckle, "even though she was pregnant too. Not as far on as Deandra, but..."

He closed his eyes in remembered pain, and Tegan squeezed her father's hand briefly before taking over.

"They went out to check the borders of our territory, while Mum – Deandra – stayed at home with the three of us. We have two older brothers," Tegan explained to Callie, "and our grandfather took us to the park because Mum wanted a rest. I was two, so I don't remember, but when we came back..."

"Deandra was gone." Dewayne's voice was suddenly harsh, at odds with the gentleness with which he stroked his daughter's hair as she leant her face into his shoulder. "We came back late, and she was already too far away for us to really hear her. I was the only one...because we were bonded. The bloodsuckers –" I felt Edward's arms pull me closer to him, became suddenly aware that my eyes were welling with tears, "– they'd made her run. She'd wanted to lead them away from the children..." Dewayne pressed a kiss to Tegan's hair as she began to shake with silent sobs. "...but then she couldn't get away. She went so far I couldn't hear her any more."

I saw the way Dewayne's eyes met Sam's briefly, saw the horror flare in the face of the La Push leader and I knew he was contemplating the idea of losing Emily. Jacob, too, was holding Callie as close as he possibly could, as though he never wanted to let go.

"Then we lost her all together." Dewayne closed his eyes once more, took a deep breath against the pain that was written clearly in every plane of his face. "They ran her into exhaustion, and then..."

A resounding silence, in which the tears trickled silently down my cheeks. It wasn't so much the words he spoke, but the sheer agony in Dewayne White's face as he related how Deandra – his life-mate and soul-mate, to quote Jake from earlier – died.

"When we caught up we found her as they'd left her," Dewayne continued at last. "They'd...they'd...it doesn't matter what they'd done. I don't know what they did to you," Dewayne continued. "But God – I'm so, so sorry. We hunted down the bloodsuckers and then left for England. There was no way we could have stayed – never knew there was a reason we should. But there was no way a baby could have survived what they did to Deandra. No way you could have lived through it."

"But I did," Callie whispered. There were tears painting silvery lines down her cheeks. "I survived as a sort of half-wolf half-vampire _thing._"

"You survived as yourself," Jacob corrected her firmly. "You survived, and that's what matters. You're not a monster, Callie. Don't you dare call yourself a monster."

My heart bled as the girl rose slowly to her feet. "I...I can see it wasn't...wasn't your fault." She spoke so quietly I could barely hear her words. "I didn't know what I was talking about when I shouted at you before. I'm sorry." She took a deep breath. "If...if you'll excuse me, I need to get out of here for a while. I need to –"

"It's all right," Sam told her gently. "Go on."

Callie held out a hand to Jacob. "Run with me," she pleaded him.

I think I was the only one watching to see the flicker of pain in Dewayne's eyes, such pain that it prompted a prayer that Callie and Jake would never know such loss. I half turned to Edward and added a plea to whichever god was listening that I would never lose him, never have to bear the loneliness that Dewayne had known for thirteen years.

**A/N: What do you think of Deandra's story? For those of you who might be interested in reading more, I'm working (in what little free time I have besides this and school and life) on another story about the pack…let me know if you'd be interested in reading it and I'll try and write it faster!**

**Hope you liked this chapter…please review xxx **


	26. Hunting dogs

**A/N: My longest chapter so far…enjoy! Thank you to everybody who's reviewed the last chapter and any before, especially those who've stuck with me! Love you guys xxx**

**Chapter 26**

We didn't wait during the conference that ensued. Carlisle, Sam and Billy joined Dewayne to discuss the issue of the approaching coven while the rest of us headed over to Sam and Emily's house to see the others, as the leaders agreed it would be a good idea for everybody to get to know each other.

They seemed to be having a sort of informal picnic on the grass in the back yard when Emily led us through to the back of the house. Sam's pack was sprawled out around a blanket laid on the floor covered with half-empty plates, within close reach of the food, and I recognized the girl Jared had imprinted on – Kim – there too. Cayne and Gwion of Dewayne's pack had stripped off their shirts to match the La Push boys, so it took me a moment to distinguish between the two packs despite their paler skin. They were already laughing and joking together as if they had known each other for much longer, although when I studied them more closely I could see, or sense, the slight rift between them, but even that appeared to come from their innate pack loyalties than any lack of acquaintance.

It took me a moment to realize, too, that the Cullens were joining in with the conversation as well, with only a little wariness to distinguish between werewolf and vampire. The chatter lulled slightly as Edward, Tegan and I appeared, heads flicking round with varying expressions of pleasure, curiosity and indifference. "Bella!" Quil greeted me cheerfully, lying on his back as he watched two giggling toddlers playing nearby. "You want a sausage roll? Emmett says he's not hungry." And then, to my utter astonishment, he chuckled, the sound merging with Emmett's own low rumble of amusement.

"Tegan, how's your father?" Ze'eva asked worriedly. The titian-haired girl shrugged.

"As well as you can expect, I guess. Callie and Jacob are running at the moment, so...he'll be okay." There were a few sympathetic nods from around the circle.

"Ze'eva explained it to them," Edward murmured, and I nodded in understanding. As we sat down – the circle shifting to make room for us with Alice and Jasper on Edward's left and Quil to my right – I glanced surreptitiously around again, noting who was there.

Of the La Push pack, Jared – and Kim – were there with Quil, Seth and the boy I assumed was Brady, which probably meant the others were out on patrol. Emily was obviously there too, happily chatting to Ze'eva who sat with her fingers unconsciously entwined in her husband's as he talked to Jared. Their son, Rylan, was watching everything wide-eyed as he ate a hamburger, tomato sauce dripping down his chin, which Tegan absent-mindedly wiped away even while chatting to Kim.

I noticed that Gwion once more had his arm about Zayba's shoulders, his eyes watching her with an attentive adoration that made me wonder if he'd imprinted. Quil, too, couldn't seem to stop watching the little girl that was playing with Cayne and Ze'eva's daughter Liraz; perhaps that was Emily's niece, Claire?

I was jerked out of my reverie as a sudden question from Seth cut into my consciousness. "Did all of you come here, or did anybody stay in England?" Then, "How many of you are there, anyway?"

The voices died away as everybody looked to the British werewolves for an answer; only the two little girls' laughter continued on, like the happy chatter of two bright birds. Ze'eva laughed aloud, the sound ringing out like silver bells. "We have a _very_ extended family," she told us. "Only eight of us came; there are...let's see...thirteen more and three halves still in England. I'll leave it to Tegan and Zayba to explain," she added with a chuckle.

"Okay so, basics," Zayba leapt in. "Other than the eight of us here, there are my parents –"

"Dad's brother Cole and his wife Dieter," Tegan expanded.

"– my Mum's brother Raoul and his wife Lys, who's Gwion's sister. Lys is pregnant, which counts for one of the halves," Zayba continued.

"Then there's Gwion's brother Duane. And my – mine and _Callie's_ – two brothers," Tegan corrected herself with a wide smile. "Don and Fly."

"Duane and Don imprinted on the Montgomery twins," Zayba took up the narrative, "Louve and Blake, who imprinted right back when _they _phased. Louve's pregnant with twins at the moment – the other two halves – and Blake _had_ twins."

I blinked. This was just a little confusing, and there was more.

"Fly imprinted on Jude, who used to live next door. They've got baby Josh, who is _so_ unbelievably adorable. He has dimples," Tegan informed us, flashing her own in a grin. "I think that's it. And now we have a new sister! And Jake."

"Can I ask what the situation between Callie and Jacob is?" Cayne interrupted carefully.

"They met this morning," Alice replied readily. "And we _think_ they imprinted simultaneously. Is that even possible?"

"I know they're both very young, but –" Esme began, but Ze'eva cut her off with a laugh.

"Don't worry about that. To your question – Alice, is it? – simultaneous imprinting is _very_ possible." Her eyes met Cayne's and she positively glowed. "It happens when werewolves imprint on each other – rather than a werewolf and a human mix." She turned an affectionate smile on Jared, then Quil.

"As to age...we understand," Cayne continued. "Age means nothing, particularly in our family. Deandra and Dewayne were both fourteen when they imprinted; the twins are nineteen. Gwion's seventeen –" he smiled at the boy opposite, "– and Zayba's thirteen, but we have no doubt she'll imprint on _him_ too when she phases. Fly was fifteen." His lips thinned slightly.

"It's not the age of imprintation that matters," Ze'eva continued. "But the family _was _a little surprised...all right, surprised is possibly the wrong word. We weren't especially pleased when Jude had her baby at sixteen, but..." She shrugged in a _what-can-you-do?_ kind of way.

There was no way I was going to be able to remember all this. Edward chuckled in my ear, and I knew he understood what I was thinking. "Fairly big family then," Alice commented.

Tegan shrugged. "We stick together."

"Speaking of which…" Ze'eva exchanged a glance with her husband. "This…matter tonight. We've learnt our lesson of leaving family behind when we go, so…Rylan and Liraz."

"You can leave them here with me," Emily offered.

"They could go home with Claire," Quil added with an adoring glance to the dark-haired girl playing with Liraz. _So that _was_ Claire._

"I'm not sure…"

"The last time we left our children – we being the pack – Deandra died." Cayne's voice was gentle. "We'd prefer to keep them with us. Or near us, at least." His bright green eyes zeroed in on my face.

"I'd be happy to keep an eye on them for you," I offered. "After all, I'm not going to be involved in any way…" I glared at Edward. I knew he wasn't going to let me anywhere near there could be danger.

"Actually, Bella's probably coming up to the clearing with us," Edward informed them. His eyes met mine, registered the surprise. "I'm not letting you out of my sight," he promised me softly. "Besides, trying to keep you out of the way worked oh-so-well last time, didn't it?"

I winced. "Maybe not, then…"

"No, that's brilliant," Ze'eva replied. "I'm not letting them out of my sight either…" Her eyes drifted over to where her children were, grew suddenly misty. "…And what's the sense in putting them somewhere that we _won't_ be, where we can't protect them?"

I was touched that they would allow me to look after the children. Me, a practical stranger – a human girl who ran with vampires. Having said that, by putting them with me was a guarantee that they wouldn't get hurt – anybody would have to get through the British pack, the La Push pack, the Cullens _and _Edward. By which point there wouldn't really be much point in them surviving, as everybody else would be already dead.

"Good, that's sorted." Emily clapped her hands together. "Who'd like some more food?" At least eight hands shot up into the air at once, and Sam's fiancée rolled her eyes. "You never stop, do you?"

"Shotgun Emmett's share," Quil interrupted quickly. The others joined in with a chorus in which each of the vampires lost 'their' share of the food.

"Be grateful you've only got about ten to feed," Ze'eva told Emily with a smile. "In our household, there are even more."

"Esme's the lucky one," Emily muttered resignedly.

I'd always thought it would take a miracle to bring the pack together with the Cullens. It seemed, right then, that Callie was that miracle.

xox

Huddled close into Edward's side, I had a sudden sense of déjà vu. How many times had we sat like this, here in the meadow, waiting for something to happen – for somebody to arrive? Except this time was different; this time the clearing was busy with werewolves and vampires both, and there was no more hostility tainting the air than you would expect to find at any non-political human gathering.

"It really is rather extraordinary, isn't it?" Edward chuckled softly. "Particularly how those two little ones feel safe enough to fall right asleep there, at my feet." There was a sort of wonder in his voice, and I glanced towards Rylan and Liraz. The two children were curled up on the outcrop beside us, a snuggled down together under a blanket their mother had laid tenderly over them once the evening had proved too long for them and small hands had rubbed at sleepy eyes.

That was hours ago, and they hadn't stirred since.

"They're probably as safe as they'll ever be right now," Emmett rumbled quietly. "I mean, come on – there are two packs of werewolves, and then me. Who wouldn't feel safe?"

We all sighed with exasperation.

"They'll be all right," Esme smiled wistfully.

"Are children always so small?" Rosalie's voice was hushed. "I'd forgotten...just how tiny and perfect they are. Their fingers..." The words caught in her throat, and Emmett drew her close into his wide chest.

"They're much cuter when they're asleep." We all turned to see Tegan swing herself up onto the outcrop, settling down with her feet drawn up underneath her. "They're hell to have to babysit."

"Oh, I'm sure –"

"No." Tegan's eyes clouded in memory. "Believe me. If you're lucky, they'll sleep. If not…" Her tone held the promise of terror.

"Everybody all right up here?" Carlisle leapt nimbly up beside us, laid one arm affectionately about his wife's shoulder. "Bella, are you cold?"

"I'm fine, thanks." I smiled up at him.

"Good. Sam was just saying, we've no idea –"

He was cut off by a ringing cellphone that seemed to shatter the silence.

"Shh!" Esme, Rosalie and Tegan hissed as one. "You'll wake the children!"

"Sorry," Carlisle mouthed even as he flipped open his cellphone and held it to his ear. "Hello?"

I saw the flickers of anger, irritation and resolve that flashed across his normally impassive face in quick succession. "Right." Edward's father bit off the words more sharply than I could have imagined possible. "They're not there. Yes, our side…up in the meadow. Why don't you join us?"

I couldn't help my sudden gasp, Edward's arms tightening reflexively around me. "They're coming," he told me in a whisper. "They're following the pack's scent…just at the edge of their territory." His eyes shot to Carlisle and he nodded once. "He wants me to go tell Sam to call the scouts back. I won't be long."

Oddly enough, it was only in Edward's absence that a sudden chill overtook my body. The vampires were coming here, and my memory filled my nostrils with the stench of burning flesh. What if – what if this time we weren't so lucky? What if one of the Cullens, or the werewolves, was killed?

"What do you mean, you have a surprise for me?" Carlisle's voice cut through my thoughts, and my heart leapt into my throat.

"Carlisle." Edward was back at my side, his arms around me, and he was glowering up at his father, who cast a glance towards me before jumping down from the outcrop with catlike grace. The rest of the Cullens followed him; only Edward stayed with me.

My eyes met Tegan's, saw such fear in them that I had to turn away and bury my face in Edward's chest to keep from screaming. "I'm going to go and find my dad." Her voice quavered, and I couldn't help but wish that she wasn't here; that this pretty fifteen year-old was anywhere but here, about to prepare for a potential battle.

"It'll be fine, Bella," Edward tried to soothe me, but his words for once only had my heart racing even faster. That had been said to me so many times before…

"Bella?" My head jerked up to see Callie and Jacob's concerned faces. "We came to check you were all right."

"I'm –"

"I'm terrified," Callie admitted. Her eyes were massive, dark pools swimming with tears, suddenly the little girl again I'd seen before. I held out my hand to her and she came willingly so that she was snuggled into my side – Edward's arm around me, my arm about Callie and Jacob's warm body crushing us in between. Callie and I were trapped between fire and ice, vampire and werewolf, but strangely I felt suddenly safer than I had all night.

It reminded me, almost, of being in that tent before Victoria –

I pushed the thought away.

"I'm scared," Callie whispered again. "If anyone gets hurt – if anything happens – it'll be my fault."

"No!" Three voices vehemently announced her innocence, a little too loudly as Liraz gave a whimper in her sleep, stirred restlessly. Edward spoke barely above a whisper as he added, "Callie, you can't blame yourself. It's not your fault. They were coming anyway –"

"Because of me," Jacob finished.

"Don't be ridiculous," I told him. "Both of you, stop trying to claim the credit for something that was going to happen anyway."

"That's rich coming from you," Jacob muttered. "Ouch!"

"Thanks, Callie." I smiled in the darkness. Being there, with Edward and Jacob and Callie, even waiting for a coven of hostile vampires to arrive, was wonderful, and I hoped we could stay friends like this even after I was changed.

Callie's arrival had been a turning point for us all, and I wasn't sure I wanted to go back to how it had been without her.

xox

It was sunrise when they came. Drifting out of the shadow of the trees a few moments after everybody except me had stiffened and turned to face that direction. Callie's nose wrinkled at the smell. "They stink," she murmured.

"How many are there?" Carlisle asked. "I can't quite tell…"

"They're singing in their minds," Edward replied furiously after a moment. "I can't hear anything else."

"Carlisle!" A sugar-sweet voice called across the clearing. "You shouldn't have put together a welcome party for us, love."

Edward's father leapt down from the outcrop and walked slowly towards her, even as she came to him. "What are you here for, Tanya?" he asked grimly.

"Silly boy," she replied affectionately. "You _know_ that we came here hunting dogs. Do you want to help us?"

Growls rumbled around the clearing.

"I don't think so, Tanya," Carlisle replied stiffly.

The vampire made a face. She kept walking towards us, her coven at her back, closer to the outcrop than I guessed the Cullens had wanted. I felt the muscles in Edward's arms tense, as though to run. "That's a pity. But never mind. Would you like your surprise now, Carlisle?" Tanya asked coyly.

"Stop playing games, Tanya," Edward told her furiously.

"Naughty, naughty boy, Edward," a new voice scolded. It was oddly familiar, but I couldn't place it. "_We're_ not the ones playing games. But if you don't keep your promises, nobody will play with you."

It was Aro.

"Surprise, Carlisle," he grinned.

**A/N: Talk about making life difficult for myself. Did anybody expect that? Honestly?**

**If you have any suggestions, requests, ideas about where I could go from here, please review! And just to let me know what you think… hope you liked it! xxx :)**


	27. Playing with fire

**A/N: All right, because I've had a few reviews asking me, here is how you pronounce the wolves' names. I got it off the internet, so…hope it's useful :)**

**Ze'eva zuh EH vah  
Cayne kane  
Dewayne duh WAYN  
Tegan TEG an  
Zayba ZAY ber  
Gwion GWEE on  
Rylan RY lan  
Liraz leer rahz**

**Chapter 27**

The light glinted eerily from Aro's teeth as he stepped forward out of the shadows of the trees, his eyes glittering redly in a way that had my stomach twisting.

"What are you doing here?" Alice hissed. Never before had I seen her so aggressive, so tensed for attack.

One of Aro's white eyebrows rose. "I'm sorry," he replied with sarcasm dripping like venom from his voice, "I didn't realise it was a private party. I shouldn't have brought any extra guests." He lifted his hand, and more cloaked and hooded figures stepped forward from the main group. I did a quick count – five with Aro, more with Tanya – and my heart sank. If it came down to a fight, the odds were far too even for my liking.

My eyes flew to the sleeping children just behind us. I hoped that Aro couldn't see them, wouldn't know they were there…

"Why did you come here?" Carlisle demanded bluntly.

"Aren't you even going to let me introduce them?" Aro's teeth glittered evilly in his smile. "This is Demetriano, Rocana, Desari…and I believe you've already met Felix and Jane." Each threw back their hood as their name was mentioned, and I couldn't help but gasp at the last girl's face and name.

Jane. I remembered Jane all too well.

Aro's eyes flickered to me. "As to why we're here…well, you know that, don't you." He paused. "Let's save that happy business for later, though. Won't you introduce me to your new friends?"

Sam and Dewayne stepped forward together, bristling with menace. "Get out of here, _leech,_" Sam spat.

"I don't think so, I'm afraid…lovely to see you, by the way, Esme. And Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, Alice – have you changed your mind about joining us?" Without waiting for an answer, Aro turned to face Edward and I on the outcrop of rock. "Edward, I'm disappointed in you. Bella, you smell utterly divine, I wish I could say the same about the girl beside you – Edward, I never thought you could sink so low as to sit so close to a dog. Callie, isn't it? And Jacob."

"How the hell do you know that?" Callie blurted out as a growl ripped itself from Jake's throat.

"Funny story behind that, actually…Carlisle, if you can't keep your dogs in check, smack them on the nose and send them home. I'm not in the mood." The two packs – suddenly in wolf form – were circling around the massed vampires, but at a murmured word from Carlisle, confirmed by a glance at their leaders, they slunk back around to surround the outcrop.

"_Good_ boys. Now, where was I? Ah yes, how do I know about mutant vampire-wolf girl over there? I was just down on the reservation this morning, and I happened to run across Billy Black –"

I think my heart stopped. "Jacob, _don't_," Callie whispered in terror as he made to move forward furiously.

"– And then I headed up to Forks, lovely little town by the way, and I bumped into Bella's mother. You look a lot like her…I wonder if you taste like her too."

Now I _know_ my heart stopped. Mom? Renee? I shook my head desperately. "No, no…"

"He's lying." Edward's tone was flat. "He didn't kill her. He only touched her hand."

I _wanted _to believe him. But this was my mom. I glanced up at him again in uncertainty, and he shook his head gently. That movement convinced me. "You're lying," I told Aro.

"But can you really believe him, Bella?" Aro circled even closer to the outcrop, ignoring the threatening growls of the wolves and the snarls of the Cullens. "After all, it's not like he hasn't lied to you before…"

My mind flew back to that night under the pines, when he told me that he didn't love me. Edward _would_ lie to me if he thought it was what was best for me…dark shadows of doubt crept into the corners of my heart.

"We'd have known if you'd been on the reservation," Emmett declared. "Alice would have seen you…we'd have smelt you."

"She can't _see_ anything at the moment, Emmett. You've been playing with fire, and you told Billy all about it…"

A dark, growling blur flew past me, and Callie screamed. "Jake!"

The russet-coloured wolf landed on the ground, writhing and whimpering in agony. Aro watched with cool detachment.

"Thank you, Jane," he murmured.

Callie scrambled down, crouching beside her mate, sobbing. "What are you doing to him?" she demanded.

"Let him go, Jane," Carlisle snarled.

The packs were closing in on the vampires now, massive teeth showing in snarls, eyes lit with animalistic rage. The Cullens were crouched, ready to attack, and the other vampires took the same posture.

That all took less than two seconds.

Edward's arms were tight around me, and I clung to him. He was ready to run – but then I caught sight of the children. "No…" I murmured.

"I don't think I want to let him go," Jane's high, sweet voice was clear. "I'm quite enjoying watching –"

My eyes couldn't move fast enough to register what happened next. All I knew was that suddenly Callie was next to Jane, holding the smaller girl up by the collar of her cloak. Not even the vampires had been able to move fast enough to stop her. I suddenly realised how much Callie had changed yet again; anybody who had not seen her before could easily mistake her for being at least sixteen, perhaps even my age, but there was that peculiar agelessness in her face that characterised Tegan and Ze'eva too.

"You don't want to do that," Jane told Callie, eyes flashing as she turned her gaze on her but making no other attempt to escape. Instead of letting go, Callie's grip only grew tighter, although even I could see how her breathing shallowed and the unmitigated agony on her face.

"I've stood pain before," she replied. Her words came in gasps, but the fact that she was still standing was more impressive. "You're going to stop doing that now. And you're never going to do it again."

"I hardly think –" Aro's words died away as Callie threw Jane aside contemptuously.

"Try me," Callie spat. She crouched at Jake's side without taking her eyes from the ancient vampire, lifted his massive form gently. If I hadn't seen the Cullens in action before, I would have marvelled at her strength, but even so it was pretty impressive as she carried Jacob unaided back to the outcrop. _Where was the sweet little girl who'd been so scared barely three hours before?_

"Jane –"

"I'm trying." The girl's voice was shrilly panicked. "It's not working. I can't –"

But Aro had lost interest in Jane, silencing her with an imperious wave of his hand. "Well, well, well," he murmured with avarice plain in his eyes. "Perhaps I was a little hasty."

"You're not having her, Aro," Jasper spoke up for the first time. "She's one of us."

"She has three families fighting to keep her," Edward added. "We're not going to let go of her."

Callie glanced up towards us silently and I knew that the tears in her eyes were as much out of gratefulness for our support as for Jacob's pain.

"Don't defy me, Edward," Aro spoke threateningly.

"I think we need some answers," Callie interrupted. "You're going to tell us anyway, Aro, so we can do this the easy way or the easier way. With the easy way, you still have consciousness about what you're saying."

Aro's eyes narrowed. "I don't like your conditions. Demetriano?"

Edward suddenly leapt up. "Carlisle, I –"

But it was too late. A tall, dark-haired vampire nodded his head once, and I felt a peculiar wave of power sweeping over me. It was like a whisper…a quiet compulsion I couldn't quite catch, couldn't hear or understand…I shook my head, blinked. And suddenly realised that while it had passed over me, the others hadn't been quite so lucky.

It was as if somebody had pressed _pause_ in a movie, or if somebody had abruptly flicked the _off_ switch for a multitude of robots at once. I noticed Callie first; her eyelids suddenly drooped, closing over suddenly empty eyes. She seemed to fold over Jacob where he lay on the outcrop, suddenly unmoving; behind her, I watched incredulous as the other wolves crumpled to the ground. "What the –"

I turned frantically to Edward and found him staring at me wide-eyed. "Edward, what's going on?" I demanded. He carried on staring at me, topaz eyes oddly panicked, but he didn't say anything; didn't move. "Edward," I asked again. Alarm started to rise within me, and I took his stone-cold hand in mine. "Edward, talk to me!"

"He's not going to answer, Bella," Tanya's sing-song voice cut into my fear.

"Demetriano has a useful little talent," Aro purred delightedly. "People just…fall asleep around him. Except vampires can't sleep so they simply become paralysed. Ironic, no? So your beloved Edward will watch as you die…much as James wanted him to watch."

"Edward!" I tugged on his hand, willing him in my mind to _wake up!_ I wished he could hear me; wished he could read my thoughts and know how I was begging him to move, speak, lose that frantic look in his eyes. "Edward!" My voice choked with a sob as my hands shook.

"The only thing that reverses the paralysis of the compulsion? Vampire venom." What _was_ this? Some crazy let's-mock-Bella thing, torture her with the fact that yes, she is utterly helpless. If I didn't know better, I would have said Aro had been watching too many bad films where it was practically compulsory for the villain to tell his victim their plans. "I bet Edward – and the rest of his family – is sorry now that they didn't listen to me before."

Despair filled me; the pack was lying defenceless as Aro and Tanya's vampires closed in, as the Cullens were held locked in some compulsion that rendered them frozen, helpless. Callie and Jake –

"I want the wolf girl," Jane hissed.

"Patience, Jane. There are plenty to go around. Tanya, my dear, Irina, take your pick…but I would like to place a special request for Bella." He was suddenly at my side, my hand twisted in his as he lifted it to his face, inhaled the scent of me as he held my wrist against his nose – an action so like Edward's, and yet at the opposite end of the universe. "You smell simply delicious, Bella."

I was going to die.

My eyes, blurred with tears, met Edward's frantic unmoving ones. I couldn't escape, I couldn't wake Edward up; if I had been able to wrench myself free I might have been able to kick one of the werewolves into consciousness. Perhaps; perhaps not. But it was impossible. I was going to die while those who would have saved me slept or watched, unable to move.

I'd always likened Edward and his family to the perfection of marble statues; but now they really were. Beautiful, cold, unmoving – and about as useful as a lump of rock right now. At least they could be pretty certain pigeons wouldn't land on them.

My mind was jumping from topic to topic, anything to avoid the reality of being trapped by a murderous vampire with no possibility of escape. My eyes held my fiancé's, filled with tears, but when that agony became too much I ripped them away – only to find myself meeting Alice's tortured gaze. They darted frantically on – Jasper, Emmett, Esme, Carlisle, even Rosalie – and found that same horror in each pair of topaz eyes. Such a contrast to the cruelty of the red-tinged eyes of the Volturi.

"Please," I begged. "Don't hurt them. Leave them alone."

I felt the full force of six red-eyes stares focus on me, knew that Tanya's coven were staring at me too. "Why would I want to do that?" Aro asked with genuine amusement. "We never really considered the werewolves a threat before – isolated, one-off – but now it's starting to look like it's not such a unique condition. I'm grateful to you, Tanya, for drawing my attention to the matter."

"You're welcome," the blonde vampire simpered. I hated her.

"And the Cullens…well, they simply weren't obedient." Only because I was watching did I see the sudden flicker of chagrin that flashed across Tanya's face. Perhaps she hadn't anticipated that Aro would want to kill them as well. The thought of the Cullens dead had my heart pounding in my throat, threatening to choke me long before Aro got around to killing me.

We were all going to die, and there was nothing I could do about it.

**A/N: If I get 15 or more reviews, I'll post the next chapter tomorrow instead of the day after… xxx :)**


	28. No time to scream

**A/N: Thank you so much for all of your reviews! Here is the next chapter, as promised…although I won't be able to do a repeat and post again tomorrow as I'm out all day today. But leave me some love and I'll post asap…but I don't know when that'll be.**

**Hope you enjoy this…and don't kill me when you see what happens at the end. xxx :) **

**Chapter 28**

"Aro, Sir, is it really necessary to kill the Cullens?" Tanya spoke up respectfully, but there was panic written in her face. "They've always been our friends…"

"Right now I believe it's a case of who you value more as friends." He turned his face towards my neck, inhaled deeply. I clenched my teeth tightly together to keep from screaming; I was shaking with a mixture of fear, fury and helplessness as Aro's fingers dug cruelly into my wrist.

The vampires were creeping even closer; one girl who looked younger than me, was stealing silently across the outcrop towards Edward, and my heart constricted. I opened my mouth, but no sound beside a strangled sob came out. Edward was going to be killed before my eyes by a black haired girl – exotically and obviously Italian – while I was barely two metres away and held captive by the oldest vampire in existence. Why, why couldn't their strength diminish as they aged? But even that wouldn't be enough; I could never be fast enough to reach my love before he died.

"Sir, look!" Felix's harsh tone – I'd never forget it – came suddenly from behind. "They brought their babies with them. Can I wake them up?"

Babies? Children. Rylan and Liraz. Soft moans and whimpers as the children woke; a wail from Liraz. But I still couldn't tear my eyes away from Edward's. His met mine, held them with an intensity that had my heart shattering, the air catching in my lungs. That topaz gaze was filled with yearning, sorrow, and the love that had become the focus of my life. I was going to lose him; we were going to lose each other. Better to die than live without him.

I was Juliet to his Romeo. _Never was a story of more woe…_

"Edward!" The word tore itself from my throat in a scream as I threw myself hopelessly forward in Aro's vicelike grip towards him. I was brought up short, a sharp _crack_ echoing through the clearing with my shriek of agony…_than that of Juliet and her Romeo. _On my knees, tears pouring from my eyes to blur my vision, I watched as the girl lowered her mouth to Edward's frozen neck –

Wait. That wasn't right.

Her gaze lifted to meet my eyes as she did so, and I could almost have sworn they glinted with topaz fire.

"No!" The cry, this time did not come from my lips. Instead it was Jane who flew forward through the air, only to reverse direction and go soaring backwards with a shriek. "No! Aro –"

"Tanya!" Aro hissed. "Hold the girl, Rocana." He sprung backward from the outcrop, dragging me with him but instead of the dreadful crunch I was expecting, cold marble arms caught me and I found myself staring up into a pair of red eyes set in the cruel face of a woman whose pale features could have been carved from marble. Except for the cloud of white-gold hair that framed her face like a halo, I could have been looking at Victoria all over again; in the twist of the lips, in the utter heartlessness in those blood-red pupils. "Hold her, Rocana," Aro repeated over the sobs of the children.

I opened my mouth and screamed again, this time out of pure terror, but the arms tightened around me and I was rewarded with a bone-crushing slap across the face. "For God's sake don't make her bleed yet, Rocana," a male voice hissed, a new face appearing in my swimming vision. It was the one who'd sent the wolves into unconsciousness – the one who'd paralysed Edward. I felt myself snarl, struggled to leap at him – I wanted to claw his eyes out, wanted to _hurt_ him – but he only gave a chuckle and stepped back and Rocana squeezed me so tightly I felt my ribs were about to break.

"Stop it," she spat. I stopped, my face and wrist throbbing as I gasped for air.

"Tanya!" Aro hissed. "What is this betrayal?"

"Tanya had nothing to do with this." A new voice, light and sweet, spoke from above, and the dark-haired girl stepped to the edge of the rock to look down on us.

"Belladonna!" Tanya gasped.

"Thanks for the help, _Tanya_." My heart stopped. Was I imagining it? That voice, velvet despite its heavy sarcasm; was it another of the hallucinations I'd suffered during those months he'd been gone? But no – Rocana seemed to hear it too, for her head whipped upward to fix on the point beside Belladonna. "Let go of her, Rocana."

And then he stepped up beside the girl.

I would have sworn in that moment that he was an angel; the breeze teased his copper hair as those topaz eyes burned in his pale, pale face. The world seemed to still, until there was nothing in it except me and him; his eyes on mine filled with that all-encompassing love that was the entirety of my universe. Romeo and Juliet had no idea.

It was only when I blinked, and the noise flooded back in, that I noticed Belladonna had disappeared; but not for long because within a few seconds she returned to Edward's side, accompanied by the rest of the Cullens. "Release Bella, Aro," Edward demanded again.

The ancient gave a bloodcurdling shriek. "You have betrayed us, Cullen! Belladonna, for this treachery you will die!"

All of a sudden he reminded me of an insanely raving old man flinging incoherent threats. That wouldn't have been the _best_ idea to have at that moment had Aro's power worked on me, as he chose that point to grab my arm in his – snarling with sudden fury– and wrench me from Rocana's arms. "Move one step and your precious Bella dies," he hissed.

Edward froze, and I could feel the tears trickling once more down my face as they stung on my throbbing cheek. So close…

"If you hurt her you won't even have time to scream," Rosalie promised, her voice more dangerous than I had ever heard it.

"Well then, I suppose my both life and hers rely on none of you moving," Aro snarled in return. "Tanya, if you value your life at all you'll get over here and stand _against_ the Cullens. Jane, Felix, Rocana, Desari, Demetriano – to me."

"I think Demetriano might find that a little hard," Edward noted clinically. I followed his gaze sideways and gagged, squeezing my eyes closed just a little too late.

"Desari –" Aro choked.

"I did not agree to slaughter vampires or children, Aro," the woman spoke furiously. "You told me I lost my soul when I was bitten, that I was a monster and that the killing was necessary; but I think it's very clear that you lied to me." I felt Aro take a sudden step back a split second before an odd _thud_ sounded at his feet. Apparently having one's head torn off was one thing a vampire couldn't recover from.

Rocana gave a scream that had my blood freezing. "You'll pay, Desari!" she howled.

"Oh, look," Alice remarked cheerily – I was so happy to hear her voice the tears only came faster – "I think the werewolves are waking up."

Growls filled the clearing, and I opened my eyes warily in time to see Callie and Jacob spring simultaneously to their feet. Both of their faces were filled with an animalistic fury, sheer rage to an extent that made me shudder involuntarily.

"If Callie says anything, Bella dies." A flash of agonized indecision crossed Callie's face, but she nodded.

"It's falling apart on you, Aro," Carlisle spoke softly. "Let Bella go now. Let all of them go."

"I've still got –" Aro began, but he was cut off as Rocana blurred past us, snarling, to launch herself on Desari. Tanya, too, leapt into the fray, and as her actions elicited no response from the Cullens I assume she was acting against Aro.

"You've got Felix and Jane, Aro. Jane can't use her power, and she's not used to fighting; Rocana's pretty busy. Irina's sided with you, but that's only a matter of principle as she's as willing to tear your throat out as any of us. Most of Tanya's coven is with us, Aro; we have the werewolves." Edward spoke calmly, so it was only because I knew him so well that I detected the terror in his eyes. Terror that I knew was for me.

"If the dogs come a step closer their children die," Felix spat, and my heart sank. They had Rylan and Liraz; the wolves weren't about to let them die. Sure enough, each of the hulking figures stopped dead at once, eyes sparkling darkly.

"You have the wolves, Cullen? That's not going to help you, we have their children." He ignored the awful ripping, snarling sounds coming from the battle of Tanya, Desari and Rocana.

"You can't fight us, Aro. There are too many of us." Emmett's voice was a low, angry rumble, reminding me of thunder. A part of my mind by this point seemed to have detached itself, was watching as though from the sidelines with clinical eyes. We had eight vampires on the outcrop of rock; three in a battle off to one side, while more closed in around the three at the centre. Three who held the hostages; a bruised, battered human girl and two wailing children. Surrounding it all, nearly twenty massive wolves.

"I don't have to fight you. Cullen, back away now or Bella dies."

The Cullens exchanged glances, communicating in lightning-fast murmurs. "Go!" Edward roared suddenly, and they backed away. Only Edward remained standing up there. "_Go get thee hence, for I will not away,_" he quoted in a growl.

"Romeo and Juliet? How sweet. And how clichéd." Aro's breath was cool against my throat, my own catching in my chest so that I could hardly breathe. His scent was as sweet as Edward's but somehow sickening at the same time, putrefyingly sweet rather than the cool, clean smell of my fiancé. "But you're still there, Edward. And my teeth are _so_ close to beloved Bella."

I could feel them scraping my neck, found myself wondering with a curiously clinical detachment how Aro could keep himself from biting down, ending it right then.

"Let go of her, Aro, or I swear –" Now the passion in his voice was audible, and I felt rather than heard Aro's chuckle.

"Such a threat," he murmured as his muscles bunched beneath me.

I had about a second to live, I knew. That second slowed so that my eyes met Edward's, saw the utter agony in them as he began to throw himself forward – seemingly in slow motion – with teeth bared in a scream.

Aro's arms tensed, and time resumed its normal pace just enough to allow all hell to break loose.


	29. Don't be Romeo

**A/N: Wheee! Shattered Sunrise has been nominated for a fanfiction award! Thank you, thank you, thank you! happydances Go check it out…voting starts August 2nd, if you're not all busy reading breaking Dawn!**

www.twilightfanfictionawards.tk/

**I'd post an extra chapter out of happiness but I don't HAVE one yet.**

**Anyway…thanks for all of the reviews I've been getting! You've been amazing and – I was going to say patient but then I remembered all the reviews I've had saying 'update update update update…' and decided to scrap that – **_**encouraging**_**. It's been so much fun writing this; although I started this just for me (before I'd even heard of – my friend introduced me to it afterwards, without even knowing I was writing this) I've kind of started writing it for you too. Sounds cheesy? I know. But true nonetheless :)**

**Without you guys, I'd have probably given up long ago. So this one's for all of you reading this! Hope you enjoy it, and drop me a review to let me know… xxx :)**

**Chapter 29**

A primal screech rent the air, like a hunting cry; a war cry.

"_Bella_!"

I was flying through the air, but it was as if the same air I had so long breathed was suddenly the consistency of tar and I couldn't catch my breath, lungs aching. But the ache in my lungs was nothing compared to the ache in my heart. I couldn't breathe, couldn't speak; couldn't even scream as I waited, bewildered, for the burning to begin.

Distantly, I heard Aro's voice scream, "Cover me!" and I realized that he no longer held me; that I was, in fact soaring unsupported through the air. The flying was quite nice, actually, because it took all the pressure off my throbbing ribs and wrist, and there was no immediate danger, and I couldn't smell the putrefying stink of Aro's cold flesh anymore.

It was only when I hit something hard that a scream ripped itself from my throat, and everything went black.

xox

"She's gone into shock."

"Is she okay?"

"What do _you_ think, Jacob?"

"Leave him alone, Edward. _I_ think she's waking up…"

"I'll go get Carlisle."

A mess of unrecognisable voices, distant and unfamiliar and somehow alien. When I tried to open my eyes, I met a jumble of blurred shapes and colours that made my head swim until I had to close my eyes again or face the risk of being sick.

"Bella? Bella?" And then _that_ voice intruded on my consciousness, sounding so concerned and frightened that I simply _had_ to answer. I blinked my eyes open again, and this time found my vision filled with an anguished topaz stare that was as familiar to me as my own heartbeat. "Bella. Thank God, thank God –"

I started to reply, but then shut my mouth hastily again. Speaking probably wasn't such a good idea get.

"Bella!" I felt somebody warm squeeze the fingers of one hand – not my sore one, I noted with relief – and looked up to see Callie's tearstained face leaning over me. "You're okay. Thank God you're okay. I'm so, so sorry –"

"Callie," Jacob's voice told her firmly, "Hush. It wasn't your fault. Feeling all right, Bells?" My eyesight was clearing now, and I was capable of shooting him an irritated glare which only seemed to amuse him. "I'll take that as a hint you're feeling better."

"Leave her alone, Jacob." My angel's beautiful face filled my vision again and my lips twitched involuntarily into a smile that turned immediately to a grimace as the entire side of my face throbbed. "Thank God…Bella, my love, how are you feeling?"

"I think I threw up in my mouth," I admitted weakly. "Don't kiss me, I probably taste horrible."

His lips twisted into a smile. "You couldn't possibly," he told me. "Are you all right? Your face, your wrist…"

I almost winced – then thought better of it – as I considered how I must look. "They're okay," I lied. "No blood, is there?"

"Luckily, no," he murmured. "If there had been…"

"I guess that's one thing we can thank the sleep-leech for," Jacob sniggered.

"You stop that!" Callie scolded him furiously. "It's not funny, Jake…let's go over there and leave them alone. Besides, I need to talk to you about recklessness. What the _hell_ where you trying to do when you jumped at that vampire earlier, trying to kill yourself? It's _not_ funny, Jacob –" Her voice died off as they moved further away, a fact which I was fairly grateful for as my head was pounding. It felt like Emmett was busy knocking holes in walls somewhere in there.

"They'll be okay." Edward breathed out deeply, bathing my face in his sweet scent as he leant forward to lay his blessedly cool forehead against mine. "You're all right. You're okay."

"So people keep telling me," I replied. I closed my eyes, tried to sort out the muddled thoughts that raged through my head. Unbidden, an image leapt to mind; Edward leaping towards me with teeth bared – I was tempted to call them fangs – and agonized fury in his eyes, copper hair blurring behind him like flames. An avenging angel; my angel.

"What…what exactly happened?" I asked tentatively. "I was almost certain Aro had bitten me…" I stopped. Was I even sure he hadn't? Had I somehow slept through the three days of change and only woken up now, as a vampire?

"You were lucky," Edward told me. "So, so lucky…I don't know if he would have bitten you or if he was just bluffing. He was considering it, but then he was also considered just ripping you –" He stopped, swallowed hard, and without thinking I lifted my hand to his cheek.

"I'm okay, Edward," I told him softly. "We're okay."

"I thought I'd lost you," he told me shakily. "I thought I wasn't going to be able to save you. That you were going to die in front of my eyes. And when I was paralyzed, and he had you –"

I craned my neck upwards, ignoring the way my cheek twinged painfully, and pressed my lips urgently against his to stop the flow of his words. His mouth met mine with a burning need, drawing my breath into him as if he had to reassure himself that I was alive; as if the air had somehow been changed by being inhaled by my body.

"I thought I'd lost you," he whispered again as he released my mouth, leaving me gasping for breath as my heart thundered at a mile a minute. "You're everything, Bella. My everything."

"You're…" Words failed me as I stared up into his earnest golden eyes. "I love you."

"My love." Cupping my face between his hands, Edward rested his forehead on mine once more, eyes closed. "My beautiful Bella."

"I probably look horrific." A short, hysterical laugh bubbled up from deep within my chest.

"_Did my heart love till now? For I never saw true beauty till this night,_" Edward quoted softly.

"Don't." I shook my head slightly. "Don't be Romeo."

His startled eyes opened, fixed on mine.

"They die," I explained quietly. "_Never was a story of more woe…_not us, Edward. Don't be Romeo."

"Are you Elizabeth Bennett to my Darcy, then?" His smile – _my_ crooked smile – had my heart flipping.

"How about you being Edward to her Bella?" Carlisle's voice interrupted, but I could hear the smile. "If somebody wrote a book with you two as the main characters, you'd be quoted as one of the greatest loves of the twenty-first century."

"Except for all the teenage girls who wanted Edward for themselves," I laughed. Laughing hurt, so I stopped quickly.

"Maybe." Carlisle's cool hand took mine. "How are you feeling, Bella?"

"I'm –" But the angle of his eyebrow warned me not to edit. "My head hurts. And my wrist. My face is aching, and it hurts to breathe. But I'm okay."

_I'm okay. We're okay._

"Do you mind if I just check you over, Bella?" I shook my head, moving it as little as possible, and felt Carlisle's cold hand brush over my cheek, probe my ribs delicately. "Good news first; it's just bruising on your ribs. That'll heal fine. Bad news? You're wrist is broken, and I think – we'll have to take you to the hospital to be certain – you've got a hairline crack across your cheek." His eyes met mine. "It could have been worse. It could have been a lot worse." Edward's father leant down and, to my surprise, brushed a light, cool kiss to my forehead. "Thank God, Bella."

"Thank you." I blinked up at him, saw his smile and the utter relief in his eyes.

"It's nothing. You're ours now." His long fingers tightened briefly on mine. "I need to go and help start the fires. Don't move," he warned me before disappearing from my line of sight.

"Fires…what happened?" I demanded of Edward again. "I don't remember anything beyond you leaping through the air when Aro was about to bite me…" I saw again the vision of that avenging angel flying towards me, heard the absolute agony in his cry.

"Aro threw you up into the air," Edward told me softly. His hand held my fingers once more, his body curving along the length of mine as he lay beside me. "He knew that I would catch you, whatever the cost. And he ran. Screamed for Jane and Felix to cover him, and ran."

I remembered the sensation of flying. I remembered hitting something cold and hard.

"You caught me," I whispered.

"I'll always catch you," he replied simply.

We lay like that in silence for a while as I contemplated just how extraordinarily lucky I was. I was alive; I had Edward. That was what was important; that was everything. I could hear the wind, the soft murmur of voices, the crackle of fires. Fires that must hold at least the body of Demetriano, and I caught myself hoping it held more. Thankfully Edward's scent was enough to cover that sickening stench of burning flesh, and I half-turned my face to breathe in his scent more deeply as I buried my nose in his neck.

"Jane and Felix realized that Aro was abandoning them to us," Edward broke the quiet at last. "They weren't about to wait and be slaughtered, so they ran as well. Most of the wolves took off after them, and most of our family too."

"You stayed?"

"I had you," he replied. "I wasn't going to leave you. I'm not letting go of you again, Bella," my fiancé told me firmly. "I love you so much."

He cradled me like that for a while, as the sky gradually lightened and the fires died down. Nobody disturbed us, for which I was very grateful as I lay in my Edward cocoon, his scent filling my lungs and the chill of him seeping through me in delicious shivers.

"Bella, you're cold," he broke the blissful silence at last, making as if to draw away but I clung to him.

"I'm not," I argued. "And I'm not letting go of you."

Edward didn't look entirely convinced, but I guess he wanted to keep hold of me enough that he'd let it pass for the moment. "Carlisle and Esme are just going to run back to the house to do a sweep and pick up some food," he told me. "Do want them to pick anything else up for you? A sweater, blanket…?"

I hesitated. Admitting that I wanted a blanket would be tantamount to admitting that I _was_ cold, which meant Edward would let go of me…a chuckle vibrated in his chest. "I said I wasn't letting go of you and I meant it, love. But I don't want you getting cold."

"A blanket might be nice," I confessed. "If they can carry it."

"Zayba and Tegan are coming with us," Esme's soft voice came from somewhere to my left, but turning my head would mean leaving the safety of Edward. "We can carry plenty."

"Thank you," I mumbled into Edward's chest.

"If you need us, Bella, ask Jacob. I'm sure he'll be able to get a message through to us via one of the girls." I felt a feather-light touch stroke over my hair. "Aro's going to pay for every bump, every bruise he gave you." Now I did twist around to look up, shocked by the uncharacteristic fierceness in Esme's tone, but she had already gone.

"Mama Bear always protects her young," Edward's voice laughed softly in my ear. "And you _are_ one of Esme's children now, my love."

I didn't say anything, instead held on tightly to my fiancé. I knew that if I opened my mouth I'd start to cry, fear and relief all welling up until I was one big mess of sobs. "Cry if you want to, Bella," Edward urged me gently. "It's all right. Nobody's here except me; Callie and Jake are way over on the other side of the clearing, Desari and Belladonna are tending the fires, and everyone else is away. You can cry, Bella."

"I was so scared," I admitted shakily. "And when I thought that vampire was going to kill you…I forgot what Aro said. I didn't realize she would actually wake you up, I thought…"

"Belladonna," Edward breathed. "If I thought any one of the Denali coven was going to side with us, I wouldn't have thought of her. She has secrets, Bella, that I only caught a glimpse of. She saved our lives. She saved _your _life." He pressed a kiss to my hair. "He was going to kill you, Bella."

"But he didn't."

"No. God, the sooner you're a vampire the better…"

"Did I just hear that right? Did _Edward Cullen_ actually say that?"

"Stop that." Edward hushed me, but he was smiling. "I'm going to spend forever with you, Bella Swan. And God help anyone who tries to stop me."

**A/N: My computer chose this morning to break. Well, the 'mouse' – it's a laptop, so basically the clicky thing – has decided to stop working. I can use the moving touch pad, but I can't click. So I've had to work out all of the keyboard shortcuts for stuff, which really isn't incredibly successful as I keep pressing the wrong button and accidentally quitting/deleting things (or, in one case, making the font go blue and sparkly. WTF? I have no idea how that happened). I spent ages struggling at this, getting more and more frustrated, until my Dad goes – "Why don't you use one of the plug-in mice?"**

**Oh. A plug-in mouse. Thanks, Dad, for letting me know before.**

**Please review! xxx :)**


	30. I can smell blood

**A/N: I never, never thought that this would turn out to be so long or so popular. Love you guys for sticking with me and for encouraging me through it all. ****I wasn't intending to post this chapter tonight, but i finished it and then i couldn't have it hanging around my computer making puppy dog eyes at me. i know, I'm crazy, but this story really is taking on a life of its own. Let me tell you, the plot was NEVER going to go like this originally. **

**If I get **_**lots**_** of reviews I'll update again tomorrow. As in...maybe over 20. That means you, people who read and don't review...I see you.**

**I think you'll want me to update soon. The story isn't over yet. I'm so, so sorry.**

**Chapter 30**

"The fires are out, so we're going to do a quick scan of the forest. Will you be all right?"

Belladonna and Desari seemed to be getting on like a house on – I had to say fire, didn't I? My eyes flickered back to the grisly piles of smouldering ash behind them. They were chatting and laughing together in a way I had not seen between vampires before besides the Cullens; not that I'd seen that many, but those I had, like the Volturi (I studiously tried to avoid thinking of James's coven but it popped into my mind anyway), had a strict hierarchical structure that allowed no free conversation. These two, however, seemed to have become the firmest of friends despite the shortness of their acquaintance, despite the disparity between them of eye colour –

"How can _you_," I glanced at Desari, trying to move as little as possible, "stand to be around me? I mean, no offence, but…" It was left unspoken that normally a red-eyed vampire would have leapt on me by now. _Normally_ Edward wouldn't _let_ a vampire get this close to me, any vampire outside of the Cullen's family circle let alone a red-eyed one.

Desari simply laughed, perfect white teeth flashing in the early morning light. "It's a gift I have. No, seriously," she added as I must have looked somewhat sceptical. "I can block out scents…I'm the reason none of the werewolves scented us in La Push, why Aro and Rocana were able to hold you without ripping your throat out. It's a useful gift to have."

"It is." Belladonna's smile was beautiful. "I don't have it, but Desari's making things a lot easier for me right now. I've been…my eyes have been this colour for only a dozen years now, so…"

Great. So if it wasn't for Desari's gift of blocking out my scent, and Belladonna's decision to save instead of kill Edward, I'd be dead by now. "We owe our lives to you both," Edward spoke my thought aloud. "Thank you."

I felt safe enough to nod, was pleasantly surprised by their lack of reaction to the wind teasing my hair despite Desari's assurance of their nonchalance to my scent. "Thank you."

Belladonna smiled awkwardly. "That's all right. Well, we'll be back soon. We won't be far." Her eyes flickered to Edward's. "I'll tell them everything when everybody gets back. If you'd…?"

He nodded, wrapped his arms tightly around me as they left. "What was that about?" I asked.

"You know I said she has secrets? One of them has something – a _lot_ – to do with Callie."

"All right."

"She wasn't thinking about it all, so it's a bit confused and I don't know the whole story. I know it's important, but I can't tell you yet."

I laid a hand on his cool, smooth cheek with a laugh. "It's okay, Edward. You don't need to justify it. I can wait."

"Sorry." He smiled my crooked smile at me.

"How many of them died?" I blurted suddenly. "If everybody's still out there…"

"Six of the Volturi came," Edward told me softly. "And Irina was the only one of the Denali coven to stand against us. Desari switched allegiances, and she killed Demetriano and Rocana with Tanya's help. Tanya and her sisters took Irina to persuade her not to side with the Volturi; the others ran." I opened my mouth to ask a question, but he stopped me with a shake of his head. "Alice, Jasper and Rosalie went after Jane with Jared and Leah. Dewayne's pack followed Felix with Embry, and most of the La Push pack is hunting Aro."

"Felix. The children." I felt suddenly sick.

"They're of too much use to him as hostages for him to kill them," Edward assured me gently. "Don't worry, my love. They'll be fine. They'll all be fine. I'm fairly surprised Aro didn't bring more, but that worked out in our favour."

I couldn't stop the fear that was roiling in my stomach. I was meant to be looking after Rylan and Liraz; now they were in Felix's clutches.

"Not your fault, my love." I sometimes wonder if he's only pretending to not read my mind. "Not your fault. _We_ were meant to be the ones protecting them, not you. And they'll be fine." He lowered his face towards mine, stopped with his lips hovering a bare inch from me so that his sweet breath washed across my senses. "I love you, Bella."

Edward was about to kiss me when a yell rent the air.

His eyes switched to black fury as my love snatched me up into his arms, spinning round dizzyingly fast with a snarl on his lips and me clinging to him for dear life. Across the clearing, Callie was crouched with teeth bared, dark hair snapping out behind her in a banner as the suddenly rising wind caught it. My heart pounded painfully as I realized she was alone.

Jacob. Where was Jake?

"Callie, get over here!" Edward called. Was that terror I detected in his tone? "Callie!"

But the girl didn't move and Edward hesitated, undecided. "Where's Jake?" The words ripped themselves from my throat in a strangled whisper. "Where is he, Edward?"

The gaze my fiancé turned on me was agonized. "I can't hear him."

The bottom dropped out of my stomach. Jake. Not Jake. "Jake's...dead?"

"Not necessarily," Edward tried to reassure me. "He could just be unconscious."

Yeah. Because that made me feel so much better.

"Callie!" Edward called again. "Come over here, it's not –" When she didn't move, didn't even acknowledge he had spoken, he glanced at me, and I could see the indecision in his eyes; should he go and get Callie, leave me here? Take me with him, and put me closer to any potential danger? Or abandon Callie?

I saw the _click_ of the choice in his eyes, and suddenly it was as if we were flying across the clearing. Callie was right beside us now, tensed like a wild animal about to attack; the tears that welled in her eyes refracted the light so that it appeared her entire eye, not just the iris, was coal black, like her eyes were bleeding some dark poison of anger and grief.

Edward stiffened. "I can smell blood," he breathed.

Blood. Jake's blood. Jake was bleeding.

I was slowly aware that Callie was speaking, a low chant that gradually rose in volume. "Jake. Jake. Jake." She repeated his name over and over, growing from a whisper until it became a heartbreaking wail. "Jake!" Something broke inside me, and I found myself sobbing into Edward's shoulder.

And then Aro stepped out of the trees.

Jake's body lay across his arms, and in the hazy morning light I could see the red that stained his still face in a gruesome mask, that was dripping steadily from his drooping head to fall to the ground. The smell made my stomach turn, but at that moment it didn't matter. I had already stopped breathing, the sight of Jacob lying like that – so helpless, so unbelievably young – making me freeze until I drew in a huge, shuddering gasp that turned into a sob.

The shadow of the gathering storm clouds chilled me to the bone, but I only clung closer to the coldness of my vampire. The soft light of morning that had previously bathed the clearing faded into a grim, steely grey as the rising sun hid its face in shame. I was barely aware of the whimper that escaped my lips; of the rain that abruptly started to fall from the broken clouds above.

"_Not Jake_," I whispered.

"Jake!" Callie wailed, and a sudden crash of thunder roared its agreement with her agony.

"Aro!" Edward hissed.

The red of Jake's blood was reflected in the gleam of Aro's eyes. "I dropped by at just the right moment, it seems." With a carelessness that broke my heart, he tossed Jake's body so it crashed to the ground a short distance away and lay there like a broken doll. The cry that ripped itself from Callie's throat was half scream, half sob as she scrambled desperately over to him, falling to her knees over him as she keened her despair to the sky again and again.

"Jake!"

A cacophony of howls exploded in the forest, but they seemed so far away.

"Jake!"

A flash of lightning set the scene into black and white for one second, as if the agony of the moment had been etched in steel to be remembered forever.

"Jake!" Callie screamed again.

"You'll pay for this, Aro!" Thunder backed Edward's words as he swung me down, gave me a little push in the small of my back to have me tripping towards Callie and Jacob. My feet gave out long before I reached them and I sprawled to the ground, dragging myself backwards to be well away from the two vampires who faced one another like beautiful, lost warriors of some long faded civilization.

"Let's dance," Aro snarled.

And the fires burnt again in his eyes.


	31. Blood and Tears

**A/N: I have to say that I was fairly disappointed with the response to the last chapter. I've had what, 105 people read that chapter? And only 17 of you could be bothered to leave me reviews. Thanks.  
**

**To those of you who have reviewed – especially those who have left me messages regularly – thank you! You make me smile and encourage me to keep writing.**

**I have a week to finish this story, because then I'm going away and I don't have any internet. And then Breaking Dawn comes out (yay!).**

**Chapter 31**

The first time I saw Jacob, he had just turned fifteen; friendly face still childish as he sauntered across to sit at my side. "_You're_ _Isabella Swan, aren't you?_"

He'd been my saviour, my sun in a time when I'd thought that there was nothing beyond the darkness that eclipsed my life. He'd held me when I was cold, broken, brought me back from my zombie-like state when everybody else had given up all hope.

I'd fallen in love with him; I'd broken his heart.

His familiar grin, the way his voice warmed around my name when he greeted me – was it only yesterday morning? – and the feel of his massive warm arms around me, all disappearing in a haze of blood that matted his dark hair and stained his russet skin.

The only concept worse than that of Jacob's death was Edward's. And my love was about to enter into battle with an ancient; the same ancient who had taken down a werewolf.

I'd never wanted to be a vampire more.

The wolf howls were getting closer, but I knew they wouldn't arrive in time. Even worse was the possibility that they weren't coming to aid us, but were still following the spoor of whichever Volturi they were meant to be hunting. Or if the vampires were chasing the werewolves…but that was a ridiculous idea. It was impossible; I knew what the wolves were capable of.

But I couldn't help being worried.

My eyes still hadn't strayed from the figure of my fiancé as he stood solidly in front of Aro. Aro was circling, trying to get Edward to move, but my love refused to relinquish his position in front of me. "What do you want, Aro?" Edward snarled.

"I want you to die," the ancient hissed. "I want to see you all dead."

"What a coincidence," Edward replied pleasantly. "That's how I want to see you as well."

And then they leapt at each other. My eyes couldn't follow the snapping, growling blur fast enough to be able to decipher what was going on, but my heart was in my mouth. Behind me, Callie sobbed on oblivious.

With a sudden screech, the two vampires flew apart, stood a distance away from each other. As before, Edward was perfectly still; this time, Aro mirrored him in a crouch. Both of them had their lips curled back to show their teeth which flashed as lightning lit the scene once more. Thunder rumbled ominously and I found myself crawling further back until I found myself beside Callie.

She glanced dully up at me, and I was shocked by what I saw. Her eyes were solid coal black, as before, but her face was stained red where she had wiped at her eyes with bloody hands. As a result, the tears that ran in rivulets down her cheeks were tinged red, mingling with the cold rain that soaked into her hair and streamed down her face. Barring the blood and black eyes, I knew I must look pretty much the same.

She looked bewildered and absolutely stricken, and so young again that my already aching heart gave another wrench. "Callie," I murmured. And then I burst into tears.

The next rumble of thunder coincided almost exactly with Callie's sudden surge to her feet; the next came at the same time as the flash of lightning which lit the sky and seemed to outline Callie with a peculiar white light, her eyes flashing with pure fury. "That's _it,_" she hissed.

"Callie, don't –" I began, but she was already striding forward. Edward didn't even look up at her as she passed him, but Aro's red eyes caught the light as they flickered to her briefly in confusion. The next thing I knew, the ancient had disappeared from his spot – it took me a moment to realize that he had launched himself through the air at Callie so that they were now caught in a sort of cruel embrace. Her hands were locked about his throat, the contrast between her golden and his palely translucent skins were starkly highlighted as the lightning flashed once more, while Aro's hands scratched brutally at Callie's back. I could see how the blood dripped and stained her dress, and I felt sick.

"Callie!" I screamed again, but my voice was swallowed in another roar of thunder. Edward circled slowly, but I could see that he was at a loss as to what to do; he couldn't attack Aro without hurting Callie in the process.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Callie's voice rose over the hissing rain. "You came here, and you hurt us; you tried to break our families apart. What gives you that right? What makes you think we'd take that lying down?"

"What's going on? What does Callie think she's doing?" Emmett skidded to a halt beside me, caught sight of Jacob's body. "Oh my God –" He clamped one massive hand over his nose, took an abrupt step back from me as he swore incoherently.

Edward's head snapped round to see us both. "Look after her, Emmett," he ordered.

"Edward, what are you doing?" My voice was shrill out of rising hysteria as he tensed himself to leap. "You can't –"

But before I could finish my sentence, before Edward could move, Aro seemed to gather his strength and flung Callie far from him. She came down again with a crash, and Aro was gone. Edward spun around with a snarl. "Where –"

"I'm here, Edward."

I froze. Aro's voice was close to my ear – so close I could feel his breath on my cheek, smell once more the sickening stench of that putrefying sweetness. His long, cold fingers caressed my neck before all too suddenly tightening over it to constrict my breathing.

"No niceties this time, Edward. Your precious little human dies in three…two…"

Edward started running on 'dies', Emmett seized Aro from behind on 'two'. But the bones were already straining in my neck, my throat already burning from the pressure and lack of oxygen. Black spots swam before my eyes, even darker as lightning flashed. I saw my fiancé's face, silver-white, saw the absolute terror in his eyes and knew I would never be able to tell him for the last time I loved him, knew his face would be the last thing –

"_Stop._"

And the world froze.

Callie had clambered painfully to her feet, was pointing her finger straight towards Aro. All of the vampires appeared to have been suspended in motion; only I struggled for breath against the vicelike grip of Aro's fingers around my throat, felt my life ebb away…

"Let go of Bella."

The grip slackened, and I tumbled to the ground as my legs gave out under me. Edward's frozen hand was stretched out towards me, but he could not move. It was as if Callie's order had paralyzed him once more and he was forced to watch as I fought for breath at Aro's feet.

Callie advanced one shaky step at a time. Her face was suddenly white, something out of a horror movie with its stains of blood and tears, the dripping strings of blank hair that hung limply. Her eyes were massive; they glittered blackly with rage and grief.

"Die. Die." It began as a chant, much as she had chanted Jake's name before. Except this time, swelling in volume, I felt its power washing over me, seeking, directed. A flicker of panic for Edward and Emmett; but this order was different. This order was meant for one person only, and my eyes unwilling turned to follow the direction of Callie's finger.

"Die. Die. _Die._"

"You don't honestly think you can simply _order_ somebody to die?" Aro spat scornfully. "You don't believe –" The words seemed to choke his throat, and he shook his head to try again. Edward, too, appeared to have regained movement and was suddenly crouched at my side, his cool hands brushing over me as if to make sure that I was really there.

"Die."

Aro's hands dropped to his side, red eyes all at once massive. There was an ancient terror in them, a fear too great to comprehend, as he opened his mouth mutely, closed it again.

"Die."

He jerked once, twice, a convulsion rippling through him not unlike that which overtook the werewolves when they were about to change. "Please –"

"_Die._"

And the ancient, the vampire who had survived thousands of years, gave a little gasp – and seemed to drift apart. Like smoke, ashes on the wind, a sigh that echoed throughout the clearing as the rain thinned into a drizzle and the breeze whipped my hair about my face, Aro was – quite simply – no more.

Silence.

Not even the wind stirred now, and the sharp rods of rain were all but gone. Just my harsh breaths as the air scraped the constricted passages, the violent beating of my heart that I was certain all of the others could hear. Edward, Emmett, Callie. But Aro was gone.

Aro was dead.

I was aware, at some extreme edge of my consciousness, that the wolves were creeping out of the forest. But the rest of me, every part of my body and soul and being, clung desperately to Edward, felt his arms clutch me tightly to him in silent assurance that he would never, never let go of me again.

The breeze whispered softly among us and I was sure – just for a moment – that I could smell a putrefying sweetness on the air, but then it was gone; swallowed up in Edward's scent as I buried my nose in his cold neck and swore that I would tell him every day how much I needed him, tell him every hour how much I loved him.

What had scared me most for that second was thinking that I was going to die without telling him. "I love you," I whispered now. "I love you. God, God, God…" His mouth silenced mine with a fierceness that would have perhaps frightened me had I not been returning it with the same passion.

Tears were streaming unchecked down my cheeks when we broke apart at last, and I turned instinctively to seek Callie. She was kneeling by Jacob's side; so tiny, so heartbreakingly forlorn. My eyes met Edward's and neither of us had to say anything for him to understand as he lifted me, carried me in his arms the few steps to Jake's body.

I knelt opposite Callie with Edward at my side, tentatively stroked one of my hands over Jacob's. His skin was still burning hot, despite the chill of the rain; the blood still pulsed weakly from his head to soak into the dark red earth.

It hit me then that something was wrong with the picture.

You know when you have those 'find the difference' puzzles? Where you're told there are so many things wrong with the image, and you have to find them, so you search the picture over and over again to see what's wrong? It was like that. Only, when I realized, it was as if somebody had abruptly slapped me across the face.

"Edward. Edward, look." I pointed one shaking finger at the puddle forming around Jake's head. "Edward."

"My love –" He made to gather me into his arms once more, but I shook his touch away.

"_Look_." The blood _pulsing_ to form a puddle. "He's alive. God, God, he's alive!" My eyes flickered up, found Callie's filled with bewilderment and confused grief. "Callie. Jacob's alive!"

She stared at me a moment longer; and then the tears overflowed from her eyes, shoulders shaking, and she screamed to the sky with a sort of fierce agony, and agonizing joy.

"_He's alive_!"

**A/N: Please review! Incidentally, I've also set up a poll on my account...favourite Shattered Sunrise quotes. Go check it out, I'm genuinely interested as to what you think. (cough since hardly any of you actually REVIEW cough) xxx :)**


	32. Forgive me, for I have sinned

**A/N: We're nearly there! A few more chapters...less than a week...but I think we'll do it. I **_**hope**_** we'll do it. All right...can't talk, must write!**

**I've been writing this for two months now...it's taken a long time. But as I said way, way back at the beginning, stories take their own sweet time in the telling. Thanks for sticking with me this far. Enjoy xxx :)**

**Chapter 32**

My voice was hoarse, my wrist and ribs throbbing with agony; my face felt swollen and the air I was breathing scraped in my throat. The stench of blood made me feel sick. But right at that moment?

It didn't matter. It didn't matter, because Jacob was alive and Aro was dead, and Edward was here and he was holding me. The tears that rolled from my eyes – tears of relief, of joy – stung my aching cheek but I didn't care. I was certain that, no matter how much I wanted to, I would never forget that night.

How the fires burnt high once more when first Alice, then Dewayne with their sorry bundles of what had once been the vampires of Volterra; how Alice, sobbed tearlessly into Jasper's shoulder with horror at what she'd been forced to do to Jane; and how little Liraz screamed mindlessly, refusing to be comforted by even her mother. Worst of all, perhaps, was Callie who wept, inconsolable, as she clutched the still-unconscious Jacob's hand to her cheek.

But there was joy among the sorrow, too. Rosalie's face as little Rylan clung to her even fast asleep; the reconciliation of Zayba and Gwion, the girl clinging to _her_ werewolf as she made him promise, over and over, never to leave her again; and most of all, for me, the feel of Edward's arms tight around me; the knowing that we were alive.

We had survived.

When rain began to pour from the clouds once more, I lifted my face to the sky, let it wash over me. It was as if the heavens were intent on cleansing the earth, washing everything through and through so no trace of the blood or tears were left. Finally, the clouds rolled aside and the sun shone through, lighting the clearing to make each drop of water shimmer, sparkling like the vampires who gathered below.

It was morning, and we had survived the night.

"I love you," Edward murmured again. He had said that at least once a minute for the past…ages. But then, who was counting?

"I love you too," I croaked hoarsely, making him chuckle as he pressed an oh-so-gentle kiss to my aching throat.

If this was victory, it was not as I might have expected. Even the werewolves were subdued; having been shooed away from their vigil around Jacob's body by Carlisle, they huddled around us, the two packs mixing freely amidst the vampires of both covens. Except it didn't feel like we were covens any more; it felt like family.

I glanced over again at where Rosalie and Emmett sat together, heads bent close over the sleeping child who still snuggled into his saviour's arms. Rylan had been bitten; but Rosalie had sucked the venom out, and now watched the child with an expression akin to awe as he slept. Emmett's face held fierce protectiveness as he wrapped his arms around both. Nearby, Ze'eva sat with Cayne, holding their daughter between them as she whimpered softly in sleep. Every now and again the mother would glance up to check on her son, smiling gently at Rosalie.

Mortal enemies?

This night had proven, once and for all, that it was not what you were that mattered; it was what you did, what you chose to do with the power granted you.

My eyes flickered over to Callie.

What she had chosen to do…the memory leapt unbidden to my mind, the dark-haired girl with the face of an angel – black eyes bleeding with tears, silhouetted against the sky by lightning. The thirteen year-old who could kill with a single word.

"Bella, love, Carlisle wants us." I didn't protest when he picked me up in his cool, hard arms to carry me bridal-style across to where his father crouched beside Jacob.

"How's he doing?" Edward asked softly.

Carlisle's topaz eyes glowed as he looked up at us both. "Jacob's about to wake up," he told us, and my heart leapt. "The wound's just about closed…Aro didn't bite him, but he gave him one hell of a whack over the head."

"Good job the werewolf's so hard-headed," Edward muttered, and I choked on a slightly hysterical laugh. The sound made Callie glance up at me and the joy died in my throat as I saw her tear-stained face. Other than lifting her eyes, she made no other sign of noticing us; simply continued a sort of mumbled chant under her breath.

"Carlisle," Edward suddenly asked sharply, "how long has Callie been like this?"

"A while." Carlisle barely glanced up as he tucked one of blankets he and Esme had brought up from the house more closely about Jacob's still form. "Leave, her, Edward; if she wants to pray just let her."

I listened more closely, found I could make out the words she was whispering.

"_Dear Lord, forgive me…_"

"No. Callie, stop. Stop it."

"_For I have sinned…forgive me..._"

"Leave her alone, Edward!" I had never seen Carlisle so angry. "Let her pray."

"I'm fine with her praying. But she _will_ not pray to this god."

"She can pray to any god she wants, Edward, if it makes her happy!"

"_Forgive me…I am a monster, Lord…_"

My heart stilled at her words as Edward's chest seemed to swell with rage beneath me. "I _will not_ have her praying to Doctor Osborne's god!" Edward roared at his father, and I knew that should he ever look at me with as much fury as was currently blazing in his eyes I would be terrified. "She is _not_ a monster, Carlisle, and I won't have her thinking as such!"

He crouched down, cradling me across his knees as he reached across with one hand to lift Callie's chin so that her dark eyes were staring directly into his, still murmuring hysterically to herself. "Callie. Look at me, Callie."

"You're not a monster," I added softly, my throat burning from the effort of talking. "You're _not._"

She stared at us both mutely, shook her head disbelievingly, but her tongue had stilled.

"He's not your god, Callie," Edward added. "You don't need to ask forgiveness for something that was not wrong. You're not a monster," he echoed me.

Ever so gently – partly to save my aching body, and partly not to scare her – I reached across with my good hand to take hold of Callie's fingers. "You're okay, Callie," I told her. "It's okay."

My fingers latched desperately onto mine. "I killed him." Her eyes were massive and so vulnerable I thought my heart would break – funny how often she had that effect on me.

"Only because you got there first." Edward smiled crookedly. "Callie, you're one of us now, and we're not monsters. Don't let him hurt you now, Callie," he added softly. "It's over."

"I killed him." Her eyes went suddenly glassy again, grip slackening on my hand. "I'm a monster."

"Have you ever killed anybody for the fun of it, Callie?" Carlisle's voice was calm. "Have you ever lured hundreds of innocents into one place so you could slaughter them? Have you ever tried to break a family apart simply because they were there; to commit genocide because they were traditionally your enemies?"

She stared up at him, shook her head slowly as the darkness of her eyes began to clear. "But I'm–"

"Not a monster." The firmness of my own voice startled me.

"Bella would be dead without you, Callie. We'd be dead. You saved us." Edward took her free hand in one of his, so the three of us were linked. "Thank you, Callie." He grinned, and I watched with relief as her lips twitched almost involuntarily in return. "I know that this is probably going to sound incredibly cheesy, but you're my heroine, Callie."

"Stop hitting on my girl, Cullen."

"Jake!" Callie tore her hands from us, spun to look at the boy who had become – less than twenty-four hours before – her soul-mate, life-mate, everything. "Jacob!" And she threw herself on him, sobbing.

"I love you so much, sweetheart." Jake levered himself into a sitting position, dragged Callie onto his lap. "I thought I was going to lose you, but…I'm so proud of you. God, I love you, Callie." He buried his face in her hair, tears building in his own eyes.

I looked away, embarrassed, found my eyes locked instead on Edward's topaz ones. "I love you, Bella," he murmured for the umpteenth time.

"Oh, so now she's your heroin too?" I teased – _tried_ to tease, but I think the rasping of my throat somewhat spoilt the effect. My head was swimming even before he leant in to kiss me.

"Callie's heroine has an 'e'," he assured me, millimetres from my lips. "_You're_ the one I'm addicted to, Bella."

I don't know if I replied or not, because by then black dots had started to dot my vision. I _was_ fairly sure, however, that I heard somebody cursing as the events of the day – the terror, the pain, the freezing cold and exhaustion – caught up with me and I fainted.

xox

Muted voices, muffled laughter, the clink of crockery from far away. Soft warms surrounding me, like I was lying on a cloud…

My eyes flickered slowly open. They felt as if they had been swollen shut, my face felt like it was twice its normal size. My lungs ached, and every breath scraped my raw throat.

But I was okay.

"Feeling better, Sleeping Beauty?" Edward's angel face swam into view, and he was smiling at me, so everything had to be all right. "You're home, before you ask. Our home. We've been to the hospital, but you were so drugged up I doubt you remember."

Hospital? No, I didn't remember.

"How long…?" Holy Crow, I sounded like hell. The angel laughed above me.

"A couple of hours. You slept the rest of the morning; it's midday. Are you hungry, love?"

I managed to nod. There was an emptiness in my stomach that told me I hadn't eaten for a while.

"All right. I'll bring some food –"

"No." I started to shake my head, stopped abruptly when it made me dizzy. "I want to go down."

"Everybody's downstairs," he warned me, even as he lifted me up into his arms – the room wobbling dangerously – and pressed a kiss to my hair. "I love you, Bella."

I was content to rest my head against his shoulder and concentrate on not throwing up as he carried me down the stairs, the voices growing louder. _How many people were there down there?_

"Bella!" A voice called my name over the noise, and everybody suddenly fell silent; well, apart from the shrill chatter of children. "God, Bella, you look like death warmed up."

"Thanks a bunch, Jake," I told him dryly. "You should have seen yourself this morning."

"Well, at least he's okay now." Emmett's rumbling laugh made me wince. "People are going to believe that you fell over a rock, hit your head and tripped into the stream when we were out camping."

"Good thing, too, because that's what we're telling them." Esme's sweet voice was filled with amusement as I groaned. "How are you feeling, dear?"

"I'm okay." I finally plucked up the courage to lift my face from the safety of Edward's shoulder, scanned the room. Edward really hadn't been kidding when he said everyone was there. The Cullens; Tanya's coven, including a rather sulky-looking Irina; the La Push pack along with their assorted mates, and Dewayne White's pack. Desari, too, smiled at me from the sofa, and I assumed she was playing a large role in keeping the scents of the room from becoming too unbearable for all of my super-sensed friends.

"You're all right." Callie was nestled into the crook of Jacob's arm, and she was smiling. "We're all right. Thank God we're okay."

And somehow I knew she wasn't referring to the God she had called upon before.

"We're okay," Edward murmured into my hair, and I could hear the relief in his voice. "We're okay, Bella."

**A/N: Review please! xxx :)**


	33. Always raining

**A/N: It's just occurred to me that I beat Bella up about two weeks before her wedding. Oops.**

**Thanks for the reviews for last chapter, they made me smile so much! Virtual hugs to you guys :D**

**Well, we're nearly at the end – before you panic, this **_**isn't**_** the last chapter. But we're pretty close. Hope you enjoy it...nice long chapter today, and read the A/N at the bottom! xxx :)**

**Chapter 33**

I was a little shocked as to his definition of the word 'okay' when I finally caught a glance of myself in the reflective surface of one of Esme's polished vases. "Edward," I asked him shortly, "what exactly _do_ I look like?"

"You're beautiful, love." He kissed my cheek.

"Alice!" I complained.

"Well, your cheek is completely purple and your throat has bruises around it," she told me matter-of-factly. "Your wrist's in a cast and you wince every time you move…honestly, Bells? You look like hell. But don't worry, we can cover most of it up for the wedding."

For some reason that brought tears to my eyes. "I can't get married like this!" I wailed. "I'll look a fright…" _Even worse than usual_, I added to myself.

"You'll always look beautiful, love." I shot Edward a dirty look; for once, he wasn't helping.

"I'm going to be the bride from hell!" I cried.

"Great, she chooses _now_ to start worrying about her appearance," Rosalie muttered. "Bella, seriously. It doesn't matter. Everything will be fine, I promise…Carlisle, can't you give her some more drugs or anything?" she added in an undertone which I nonetheless managed to hear.

"That wasn't very nice, Rosalie," Esme scolded as she brought a steaming bowl of soup over to me. "Stop it."

"What? I said it would be fine," Rosalie sulked.

Edward drew me closer to him. "Everything will be fine, love," he assured me gently. The combination of his closeness and the sweet scent of him managed to calm me until I reluctantly pushed the issue aside. He seemed to have the same idea, as he turned quickly to Carlisle. "Did you speak to Charlie and Renée?"

I hadn't even thought about my parents, and let out a little moan at the mention of them. Everybody glanced at me, amused.

"I did," Carlisle replied. "He was ringing the house all yesterday evening, anyway…" I groaned again. "…wondering where Bella was. I told him that Alice had planned a surprise camping trip that Bella didn't know about it, everybody else assumed Alice had told him and she did slide a message under the door but apparently he didn't get it. It's currently under the doormat," he finished.

"Thanks a lot," Alice murmured.

"Charlie will get over it if it's you," Edward shrugged. I groaned and hid my face in my hands.

"Just be glad you _can_ lie to your parents," Tegan pouted with an irritated glance at her father. "I have half my family living in my head." _Thank every God that anybody has ever prayed to that Charlie can't read _my _thoughts…_

"Tegan's just irritated because she got caught making out with Seth and everyone flipped." Gwion, the youngest of the male werewolves in Dewayne's pack, grinned as he sat with one arm around Zayba. Seth flushed red, ducking his head so he didn't meet anyone's eyes, but Tegan scowled.

"I don't see what the big deal is. Just because I'm a werewolf suddenly I can't be a teenager? This sucks."

"Believe me, you have no problem whatsoever in being a teenager," Dewayne growled.

"Happy families." Ze'eva rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry, Carlisle."

"At least you can hope that yours will grow up," Esme murmured.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Emmett pretended to whine pathetically. Esme exchanged resigned glances with Emily and Ze'eva.

"I take back what I said about Esme being the lucky one," Emily laughed. Sam, so far silent, gave a chuckle as he hugged her where she sat next to him on the couch. The room fell into a comfortable quiet, as I ate the soup Esme had brought me, the werewolves tucked into piled plates of food perched precariously on tables and chair arms, and the children continued to play. Quil or Emily had brought Claire over with them again, and the presence of the little girl seemed to have made Rylan and Liraz forget their ordeal as they giggled and played together. I caught Rosalie watching them, saw her lean into Emmett's shoulder, remembered again her yearning for a child.

Edward's head snapped up a moment before the beautiful vampire on the other side of the room – Belladonna – spoke. "Since everybody's here, would now be a good time…?"

There was a pause as half the people in the room looked at one another in confusion. Carlisle and Edward exchanged one long look. "I'm not sure there really is any good time," my love murmured at last. "But now's as good as any."

"There is not going to be _any_ fighting in my house, thank you," Esme added sternly.

"Why would there be fighting?" Cayne asked, confused.

"There isn't going to be any," his wife told him firmly. "I don't know what this is about, but I think we've seen enough violence for a lifetime." She looked up at Esme. "If it's serious, could the children watch the television in another room or something? I'd have them play outside, but…"

"It's Forks." Jacob laughed. "It always rains here."

"That's fine." Ze'eva stood to escort the three children away, and a tense quiet hung over the room with the loss of their cheerful chatter.

"What's going on?" Sam asked quietly, and the tone of his voice had everybody shifting uncomfortably. I was grateful for Edward's arm around my shoulders, noticed that all the other couples in the room were moving closer similarly. Ze'eva slipped back into the room quietly, took her place between Cayne and Tegan.

"I want you to hear me out," Belladonna began. "And I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

I noticed that her gaze flickered briefly over Callie, over Dewayne, and the feeling of unease in my stomach increased.

"From the very beginning, then. I was bitten – a while ago – when I was sixteen, and the vampire kept me. Took me to join her coven, but it was more like I was…a pet, or something. There were already three of them; Dasmaya, Samson and his mate Charna, who was the one that changed me. We were…I _wasn't _like I am now. We killed people for food." her voice was loud in the absolute quiet. "Charna was…cruel. She liked toying with people. Samson loved her for it, Dasmaya admired her…I didn't like it, even then, but…"

Nobody said anything, but the unspoken question hung in the air; _What does this have to do with us?_

"When Samson was killed, Charna went crazy. She swore to get revenge." Belladonna lifted tortured topaz eyes to scan the room, finally settling on Dewayne. "Samson was killed by werewolves. By you."

Because I had followed Belladonna's gaze, I saw Dewayne's face pale. Saw realization flood it even as I began to see myself what had happened. In my mind's eye, I could see it; the vampire howling in fury at the death of her mate, except this vampire had fiery red hair and the face that had haunted my nightmares for so long.

"Not Victoria." Edward's voice whispered in my ear, and although I glanced up at him with surprise I should have known that he knew what I was thinking about. "Not Victoria, love."

"To cut a long story short, Dasmaya was busy running false trails all over your territory; I watched you, and Charna went after your mate. You took the bait, went the wrong way, and the three of us –"

"You killed Deandra." Dewayne surged to his feet, Cayne close beside him. "You filthy, bloodsucking leech, I should have known better than to trust any of you!" He was shaking with rage, and a cold chill of fear ran through me.

Nobody seemed to know quite what to do. Cayne and Gwion were on their feet next to their pack leader, the La Push pack half risen from their seats in uncertainty; Ze'eva and Tegan, however, were clutching onto the arms of their husband and father respectively, I could almost swear in an attempt to hold them back. Jacob, expression oddly blank, was cradling a white-faced Callie in his arms, and I felt wave after wave of calm wash over us all as Jasper tried his best to defuse the situation.

"Dad, sit down." Tegan's voice snapped out. "Let her finish."

"Be quiet, Tegan!" Dewayne roared, but the girl persisted.

"Dad, you can't honestly believe that her sole reason for telling us this is to say that yes, she killed my mother and now you can kill her for it."

"Listen to her, Dewayne." Ze'eva's voice was just as calm as her niece's. "Sure, she was part of the coven that killed Deandra. Which mean that yes, she was probably there. But doesn't that mean that she knows what happened? She knows what happened to Callie," the woman spoke slowly, calmly. "Sit down, Dewayne."

I couldn't help noticing that the way this pack related to each other was very different to the La Push pack. The Quileute boys – and Leah – all obeyed Sam instantly, perhaps with a bit of grumbling but they still obeyed his orders. It struck me again now that the British pack appeared to be, first and foremost, a family; while Dewayne was head of the family, he was not absolutely autocratic. I wondered briefly how he would have reacted to the situation had he been in Sam's position when Jacob wanted to tell me about the werewolves.

"Belladonna." Ze'eva took control of the situation. "Please continue." At her words, everybody settled back down in their seats – there was an almost inaudible sigh of relief from everybody, and Edward's grip on me slackened ever so slightly as he pressed a kiss to my temple.

"They…we…chased her until she couldn't run any more. And then Charna taunted her, bit her and left her to die." Belladonna closed her eyes, seeing an image that with her vampire memory must be as clear as if it were only yesterday. "She was already dying. She was too exhausted, and then the baby…"

"Callie," Jacob murmured.

Belladonna nodded but didn't look up. "I took the baby. Charna and Dasmaya were already running, and the pack was too far away. I took you." For the first time, she lifted her gaze and stared straight at Callie. "I left you on the doorstep on a house. I heard them take you inside…I thought you'd be all right. I'm so, so sorry." The words burst out of her. "I thought you'd be okay."

"Deandra would have survived being bitten," Cayne muttered.

"She was already dead," Edward interrupted. "The vampires ran her into exhaustion, and she was already dying before Charna bit her." I glanced up in time to see his eyes lock with Belladonna's, and for some reason knew that he wasn't being entirely truthful. "But Charna didn't know that the venom wouldn't affect her."

"But it affected me." Callie's voice was shaking, her face dead white. "She bit my mother, and it turned _me_ instead."

There was nothing anybody could say to that.

Callie continued, "And then _you_ took me." Belladonna nodded hesitantly. "And then you left me outside a house."

"It was called Callie Cottage," the vampire replied softly. "I almost…it was such a shock to hear them call you that. I knew it was you. You look so much like your mother."

"She's Callie White now," Dewayne spoke roughly. "You…I'm sorry." He almost choked on the apology that Ze'eva prodded out of him with a meaningful glance. "I didn't understand." He took a deep breath. "You saved my daughter."

Belladonna shrugged uncomfortably, and silence fell over the room once more as we all let it sink in. When Jasper suddenly started to chuckle, we all glanced up in astonishment.

"I've just realised," he told us. "Callie White…and Jacob Black. That's such a cliché…but you two really are meant for each other." His words were accompanied by amusement that swept over us, lightening the tension that still hung in the air. I saw the look of utter relief that passed between Esme and Carlisle, the adoration in Alice's eyes as she glanced up at Jasper. But there was still a tortured misery in Dewayne's expression as he looked about the room, saw his wife's face in both of his daughters, and knew that she was dead.

"I don't…I don't understand why…" I hadn't realized that I had spoken aloud until everybody turned to look at me. a flushed – of course – bright red.

"Go on, love," Edward urged me.

"I don't understand why _you_ didn't follow…why you didn't find _her_." I pointed first at Dewayne, then Belladonna. "I mean, couldn't you have…?"

"I forgot you wouldn't know, love," Edward told me. "Belladonna…well, as everybody here _except_ you has realized by now, she doesn't have a scent. I guess it's like my gift…a little more like Desari's gift…but it's just like she isn't there if you can't see her."

"It's why I was able to creep up and un-paralyze Edward," Belladonna explained. "Everybody was too busy watching you…and because they couldn't _scent_ me, they didn't realize until it was too late. So the wolves couldn't follow my spoor, basically because I didn't have one. I saw the baby safe, then fled."

"And she ended up in Denali, where she joined us," Tanya added.

"While we hunted Charna and Dasmaya," Dewayne finished. His eyes scanned the room. "I want to thank you…" he began stiffly.

"Belladonna, thank you for saving her. Bella, for finding her. All of the Cullens and the La Push pack for helping her. And Jacob…"

Jake shook his head. "Thank you _for_ her," he replied.

"I think that's up to me, isn't it?" Callie laughed suddenly. Her face sobered. "I just…I mean, I don't know how to say…"

"While we're doing 'thank you's, I want to add one. Callie, thank you for saving _us_. You've brought us all together, and you kept Bella alive. We're glad to have you here, Callie." The girl was speechless at Edward's words, even more so when everybody around the room nodded their agreement. I could see the tears in her bronze eyes; tears of a girl who had never had anyone, and all at once had families and friends who loved her.

"And I know you don't look at it this way, Callie, but thank you for killing Aro," Desari added. "I know how it made you feel, but I travelled with him; you've done the whole world a favour."

Callie flushed as red as I had a moment before.

Emmett suddenly seized an empty glass from the table. "I've never had the chance to do this before," he announced excitedly. "But here's to Callie. Love her and look after her, and never, never make her mad."

We all drank to that – well, the vampires didn't, but the thought was there.

"And here's to our truce." I couldn't help but gasp as everybody lifted their glasses again. "Because mortal enemies for the sake of enemies is a really stupid tradition."

"Emmett!" Esme complained laughingly.

I couldn't have been happier in that moment. My vampires and werewolves had just agreed to an official truce – had agreed to be friends. "There's not going to be another war," Edward murmured into my ear, his words all the sweeter for his velvet voice. "We agreed while you were sleeping; you can become one of us, if you still want to, and the treaty isn't broken. We don't _have _a treaty anymore; we don't need one."

I sat there with tears in my eyes; and when my gaze met Callie's both of us couldn't help but smile. Between us, we'd done it. Perhaps I'd started it with my friendship for Jacob and my love for Edward, but Callie had brought it home dry. It was like a bridge had been built between the Cullens and La Push; and everybody was standing on it together, because there weren't sides or boundaries any more.

I had known the treaty would be broken, but I hadn't imagined that it would be like this.

**A/N: Is anybody else happy dancing? Or is it just me? Here was the rest of the explanation for how Callie is what she is, and where her name came from, and quite a lot of the other stuff I've been asked. If you think I've left anything you want to know out, please let me know.**

**Also, if there's anything/anyone in particular you'd like to see in the last chapter - it's at least one away - let me know. Unfortunately must be before the wedding, as I won't have time to write that. The future of the story is in your hands...**

**Review! xxx :)**


	34. Slight continental unrest

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews for last chapter! The suggestions too...very useful. Hope you like this chapter!**

**By the way, keep voting on my poll, I love to see what you think!**

**Virtual hugs xxx :)**

**Chapter 34**

To say that Charlie wasn't very happy when he saw me – being carried out of the car by Edward covered with bruises and wearing a cast – would be like saying the Tsunami was a spot of flooding, or that the Second World War was some slight continental unrest.

My father was livid.

"EDWARD CULLEN!" he thundered as soon as my fiancé set foot on the drive, "What do you _think_ you're doing bringing my daughter back in this state? You kept her out all night without so much as a telephone call to let us know where she was, and now I hear she's been in hospital because _you_ let her fall in a stream and nearly drown!"

If I hadn't been too busy cringing I'd have actually been quite impressed. Charlie _never_ talked this much at once.

"Charlie, I take full responsibility. It wasn't Edward's fault." Carlisle stepped around from his car – yes, they'd felt it necessary to bring two cars to drive me home – and tried to mollify my dad. "I have to say, though, it looks worse than it is. She's only got a broken wrist and some bruising…"

"She's _only_ got a broken wrist?" Uh-oh, Charlie really was furious. "Why is it that every time my daughter disappears it turns out she's been with _that boy_ and she generally comes home with something else in plaster?"

"He has a point." The laughter bubbled up in Alice's voice as she murmured too quietly for Charlie to hear. Edward and I cast her what must have been identically exasperated looks.

"He's not as bad as I was," Jacob pointed out while Charlie continued to vent his feelings at Carlisle and we largely ignored them both. "I brought you home on a daily basis…don't kill me, Edward," he added quickly. "It was stitches one day, concussion another. And then, oh yeah, you jumped off a cliff and drowned. But it was okay." I choked on a laugh.

"You are _so_ lucky I like you right now, Black," Edward growled.

Jake pretended to be scared, and Callie hit him. "You're lucky I'm not as breakable," Callie retorted.

He tucked a strand of her long, dark hair behind one ear, dipped his head to kiss the tip of her nose. "Yes, but you can run fast enough to keep up with me. Bella needed to go motorcycling, and cliff diving –"

"Shut up, Jake!" I hissed. "Charlie doesn't know about the cliff diving!"

"Cliff diving?" Callie's eyes brightened. "We have got to do that sometime, Jake. Maybe you guys can join us – when Bella's slightly less breakable?"

"I'd love to," I accepted at once. Edward rolled his eyes.

"We'll have to wait until after we get back from Italy," Jacob added. "Are you coming with us on that one, Alice?"

"I might." It had been decided that Callie – and Jake, of course – would go to Italy with some of the vampires. Definitely Desari, maybe Belladonna and some of the Cullens. They were heading – specifically – for Volterra, where Callie was basically going to tell them to leave the Cullens alone, forget about the werewolves and possibly – this bit was still in debate – tell them to stop eating humans. Full stop, end of story. That would be happening after the wedding, after I was changed and getting used to my new vampire status. We wouldn't have to worry about the Volturi ever again.

"Jeez, Charlie's really mad, isn't he?" Alice sighed.

"Where's Mom?" I asked nervously.

"She's inside, waiting to pounce, love." Edward chuckled at my groan. "She'd half convinced herself that we'd eloped."

"Don't you _dare_, Isabella Swan," Alice warned me as the idea flickered briefly across my mind. "Don't even consider it."

I sighed. "I wasn't really serious." How many times had I said _that_ recently?

"Are you all right, love?" Edward asked me. "How's your throat?"

"It's fine," I told him for what felt like the millionth time that morning. "I'm just tired." The idea of going to bed – flopping down under the covers with Edward curled up next to me – seemed suddenly very attractive, until I remembered that Renée was occupying my room.

"Wow. When Charlie gets mad, he really, really gets mad," Jake commented blithely.

"And Charlie's really mad right now," Edward added with a chuckle. Was it wrong of me to wish, now that they finally didn't hate each other any more, that they didn't get along quite so well? They were going to drive me crazy. "And he's coming..."

"As for _you_, Isabella Swan," Charlie began.

I groaned under my breath, and Callie must have taken pity on me. "It's not Bella's fault, it's not Edward's fault. They've heard your lecture and they're very sorry, so you've decided _not_ to ground her until the wedding."

Charlie blinked at her before turning to me. "Now get inside and apologize to your mother!" he yelled.

Wow. "Callie, have I told you how much I love you?" I murmured.

"Hey, she's _mine_," Jake complained with a laugh as we all headed indoors, leaving a rather bewildered Charlie outside with Carlisle. "But if you're very nice to me I might let – ouch!"

"Callie, I thought you said you were only going to hit him in emergencies," Edward laughed.

"What can I say?" she shrugged. "We're living through a crisis."

Renée appeared out of the kitchen as we were still laughing. "Bella, honey, what did you _say_ to your father to get out of the lecture he's been rehearsing all night?" I cannot describe the relief I felt upon seeing her. I mean, although I hadn't really believed that Aro had killed her, there was still that nagging doubt in the very back of my mind that was aware of just how capable the Volturi were of hurting people, of how very vulnerable my mom was. "My God, honey, you look..." She covered her hand with one mouth, looking like she was about to cry.

"I'm okay, Mom." How many times would I have to say that before somebody started believing me? "I didn't actually say anything to Charlie...Callie just told him it wasn't our fault and that we're sorry." Well, it was true.

Renée tore her eyes away from the bruising on my face, cast one long, searching look across at Callie. "One thing, sweetheart. Promise me you'll never get involved with politics."

"I won't," Callie promised.

"Thank you. Bella, love, may I have a word?" My mom might look sweet and absent-minded, but there was no way I was getting out of this one. Jeez, I'd feel _bad_ for getting out of it. Edward carried me gently up the stairs after Renée, set me down on my bed. "Thank you, Edward." It was a clear dismissal. "All right, Bella, what happened?"

"Mom..."

"Carlisle told us that you tripped over a rock, hit your head and slid into the stream while you were out camping."

"Um..."

"Camping, Bella? Do you honestly expect me to believe that you went camping in the weather we had last night? I know that _you_ probably would, if Edward wanted to, but from the way Carlisle painted it the whole family went. Do you think I'm going to believe that those two girls of theirs went camping in a thunderstorm?"

I remembered Rosalie's bedraggled locks, her lamentations over them. "Well..."

Renée fixed me with a no-nonsense look that had always, growing up, made me crumble. "Bella. I'm not letting you get away from this without telling me what's been going on."

I told her everything.

Well, 'everything' was a little edited, but it was closer to the truth than I'd ever anticipated telling her.

xox

"So let me get this straight," Renée's voice was calm. I had a sudden flashback to sitting in the Cullens' living room after Edward and I tried to explain just what we'd done with Callie. "About three years ago, Carlisle was working in Italy. He came across somebody who had been injured, took him into his home and looked after him. Then it turned out the man had the Italian Mafia after him, and once they found out the Cullens had helped this man they decided to target them, so the Cullens moved to Forks."

I didn't say anything.

"They finally managed to track them down, and that was why Edward left – because he didn't want you to get hurt. They came back because 'something happened' –" Mom raised her eyebrows as she quoted my words, and I winced, "– and everything was all right for a while. Except tonight a group of them reappeared, tried to take _you_ hostage and Edward saved you. The teenage boys from La Push and their cousins happened to be in the area and chased the _Italian Mafia_ away –" I winced again, "– and they ended up running off cliffs, falling into streams and disappearing. But they're all gone, and it's safe now because they're not coming back."

I could have sworn that there was sudden laughter from downstairs. I was going to kill Jake. Hey, it had sounded like a good explanation at the time. It _was_ fairly close to the truth, but then the truth was fairly ridiculous in itself.

"Uh...they might not have been the _mafia_, exactly..."

"All right. Just making things clear." Hadn't Carlisle said the exact same thing a couple of days ago? "Well. Not what I expected. Bella?" I craned my neck to look up at her, but she was staring out of the window.

I waited.

At last, Renée huffed out a breath. "For God's sake, Bella, don't tell Charlie."

That was it? I climbed gingerly to my feet, made my way to the door.

"Bella..."

I glanced back. "Yes, Mom?"

"I love you. And if you ever want to talk to me, about anything..." She left it hanging, and I nodded.

"Thanks, Mom. I love you too." Oops.

Edward was up the stairs before I'd taken three steps across the landing, lifting me up into his arms. "Italian mafia?" he murmured disbelievingly in my ear.

I winced.

**A/N: Oops...please review! xxx :)**


	35. Wandering stars

**A/N: So here we go, the last chapter. Penultimate update...I just want to say, again, thank you so unbelievably much. For reading, and reviewing, and for all the suggestions...love you loads and hope you enjoy this xxx :)**

**Chapter 35**

Charlie's blinding lack of subtlety in making it clear just how unwelcome Edward was in his home was only matched by Renée's overpowering delight at having him here – and her determination to keep him. Charlie didn't have a chance.

Callie had dragged Jake away hours ago, to my absolute relief as he kept insisting on bringing up the topics of Italy, camping, the wedding and – oh yeah – the Italian mafia. I'm not entirely sure how he managed to steer the conversation around to that last topic, but when he brought it up Renée and I choked simultaneously on our drinks and Callie had shot out of her seat as if she'd been burnt.

"Gosh, look at the time!" she'd exclaimed. "Come on Jake, we need to go...we've got to be back for dinner, remember? Jacob," her tone was sugar-sweet as he opened his mouth to argue, speaking too softly for my parents to hear, "remember that I have the capability of making your life a living hell, love."

Jacob had jumped up meekly. "Got to go."

Alice and Carlisle had left shortly afterwards, having declined the dinner invitation Renée had – much to Charlie's chagrin – offered to all three but mainly Edward, who had opted to stay. "I'd love to, but I promised Rose I'd be there for Emmett's movie marathon," was Alice's excuse. "Moral support. If there are two of us, we won't have to watch –"

"Well, must go," Carlisle had cut her off loudly before she could announce the title of some mafia-related film (cue Alice's pout). Maybe Edward's glower had something to do with it. "We'll speak soon...lovely to see you both."

So the four of us had eaten together, with Charlie fuming silently while Renée and I filled the quiet he left. Luckily, Renée had insisted on cooking one of her 'experiments' so Edward wasn't alone in pushing the food surreptitiously around the plate, his lack of appetite unremarkable. Renée then suggested we watch a movie ourselves and I was grateful for the sudden relief in pressure of having to talk. Ignoring Charlie's frown, I snuggled up next to Edward on the sofa – he was, after all, my fiancé – and was asleep before the film finished.

xox

I woke with a feeling of utter content.

I'd been dreaming, and although I couldn't remember precisely what the dream was about, I knew Edward had been in it. Even as I thought of him, my love brushed a light kiss across my neck, just below my ear, and murmured, "Good morning, love." His velvet voice – so much in reality than dreams, and how many things can you say that about? – had me practically melting against him right where we lay on the couch.

Edward's body was stretched out behind me, cool through the blanket that separated me from him; pressed against my back with his arms around me to keep from falling off of the edge. Even in sleep, my fingers had been laced through his, so I simply lifted our hands together so I could kiss his knuckles. My love's chest vibrated with a chuckle and I snuggled back against him, happy to stay there for a while longer with the sun peeking through the blinds and the gentle clink of crockery in the kitchen –

Three things hit me all at once. One, Edward was here on the couch with me. Two, it was morning. And three, one of my parents was in the kitchen.

I sat up so fast that the top of my head collided with Edward's chin hard enough to make me see stars. "Edward!" I hissed. "You're not meant to be here!"

At that moment, Renée popped her head out of the kitchen. I flushed furiously upon seeing her, opened my mouth to explain, but she cut me off. "Ah, you're both awake. Breakfast's nearly ready, love."

"Uh..." I glanced quickly at Edward.

"You both fell asleep during the movie," Mom beamed. "I couldn't wake you, you looked so angelic...so I persuaded Charlie to let Edward stay. He's already left," she added cheerily.

This was all too much for my sleepy brain to take in. "We both fell asleep?" I repeated stupidly.

"Just woke up now," Edward confirmed with my crooked smile. Jeez, I wonder why Mom said he looked angelic? He practically _is_ an angel.

"So what have you two kids planned for today?" Renée asked as I sat down at the kitchen table with a yawn. Edward had pleased off eating; he 'wasn't a breakfast person', apparently.

"Well, Mom, I was hoping...could _we_ do something this morning?" Her face lit up.

"That fits in perfectly, because Alice is dragging me off for something wedding-related." Edward smiled. "May I perhaps rejoin you later this afternoon, Renée?"

"Perfect." Mom beamed.

It was nice spending the day with Renée. Although we didn't actually do much, per say, just hanging out with the mom who had been my best friend for so long was really, really brilliant. The last time I'd seen her was when Edward and I spent that weekend in Phoenix; the time before, I was lying in hospital. Both times, there had been other people around, so we hadn't had really Bella-and-Renée time since I'd moved to Forks. Really, this was my last chance.

I was getting married – and then I was moving to Alaska – and then I was going to be a vampire.

"Bella, are you okay?"

I took a deep breath, refocused. "Sorry, Mom. I got..." I paused. "Mom, I'm getting married." I think it was only then that the idea fully hit me. We'd been through all the planning, the dresses and food and flowers, I was wearing Edward's ring. But it had still all been a little surreal; I, Bella Swan, was getting married. I was marrying Edward. "I'm getting _married_."

"I know, love." Renée put her arms around me, hugged me close for what seemed a long time. "My baby's grown up." I was going to miss this so much. I was gaining a husband, a family – but I was losing my parents.

"I'll call lots," I promised.

"Silly girl." Renée's hand rested on my cheek and she smiled sadly. "You'll be too busy, married and in college..."

"I love you, Mom."

"Love you too, Bells."

The house phone rang as we were sitting down in front of the television with our lunches propped on our laps. That's actually incredibly awkward when your wrist's in a cast, but I managed, although it was Mom who leapt up first to answer the phone – I'd have probably spilt something.

"Hello? Yes...no, this is the right number. I'm Bella's mom, hold on a moment and I'll get her for you..." Mom brought the phone across to me, mouthing 'Mike'.

"Hi, Bella!"

I hadn't spoken to him since graduation, and surprisingly I found myself quite happy to talk to him. It might, after all, be one of the last chances I got before I left. "Hi, Mike. How are you?"

"Great, Bella, what about you? How's your summer so far?"

"Pretty normal, actually." I've been getting engaged, planning a wedding, hanging out with vampires and werewolves, nearly dying...average, really.

"Really? I heard about...you and Cullen..." He paused a moment, before hurrying on, "Congratulations, by the way. I only just got back from New York..."

"Yeah, I remember you said you were going," I lied. "How was it?"

"It was brilliant. Listen, Bella, I was wondering...a bunch of us are heading down to the beach tonight, do you fancy coming? Everyone's going to be there except Ben, he's away, but we thought we'd get together because it's the last time most of us are here. I know Cullen doesn't go down to La Push, but..."

I didn't bother correcting him. "I'd love to come, Mike." I really did want to see everybody.

"That's brilliant! Meeting outside the store to drive down – we're having a bonfire. If it's possible, it would be great if you could bring some food."

"I'll see what I can do. And I'll make my own way down, but thanks. Hey, Mike, is it okay if I invite a couple of people I know from the reservation?"

I could practically hear him frown. "Like your friend the sophomore?"

I decided not to tell him I was planning on inviting the whole pack, so I edited a bit. "Yeah, Jake. And his girlfriend...Leah and Kim and Tegan'll probably want to come, too. Is that okay?"

"Sure." Mike's tone brightened. "I'll see you later, then. About seven on the beach?"

"I'll be there. See you, Mike. Mom, do you mind?" I asked as soon as I'd hung up.

"Not at all, love. What are you doing?"

"Bonfire on the beach at La Push. You and Charlie...?"

"Had already planned to go into Port Angeles for dinner. We're going to be discussing you, I think." The idea of that made me cringe, and Mom laughed. "Don't worry, love, I was only joking."

xox

"Hey, Bella! Over here!"

As if I could have missed it. I swear, the pile of driftwood gathering had to be four feet high already, and I could see figures scouting along the beach to find more. The boom-box belted out some catchy song and I could see Angela and another girl laughing carelessly as they danced along the beach to it. I was late; my truck was spluttering and stalling a bit as I drove along the roads to La Push by myself, and I had a nasty suspicion that I was going to be given a new Cullen-style car sooner than I'd anticipated.

"Hey, Mike!" I refrained from skipping over as some of the girls were doing, instead concentrating on placing my ballet-pump clad feet carefully on the stones. Edward wasn't here to catch me yet, and I wasn't going to risk falling.

"Good to see you!" Mike caught me by surprise as he hugged me. "You look...um..." he finished dumbly, eyes flicking over the bruising on my face. "Amazing."

"I tripped over again," I laughed. "But thanks anyway." Having phoned the Cullens to let them know what was happening, I'd been assured that they'd be by a little later; Alice then proceeded to instruct me exactly what to wear. The long, loose sleeve of my flowing dark blue top covered the cast on my wrist, hid the bruises on my neck, but I couldn't exactly cover my face. "It feels like it's been _ages_ since I last saw everyone. I brought a whole lot of food, it's in my truck – "

"Bella!" I glanced up, noted with surprise that the girl who had been dancing along the beach with Ang had, in fact, been Callie. She looked, by now, at least seventeen; nobody would have put her age anywhere near thirteen. "Do you need any help carrying stuff?"

"I'll come help too." I choked back a laugh as a whole group of boys followed us as we made out way up to my truck. Jake was going to be glowering all night, at this rate, as Callie looked absolutely stunning with her cheeks rosy pink from the fresh air, her slender figure – which had become, over the past week, every bit as perfect as Rosalie's – showcased in a pretty cream dress that set off the rich tone of her skin. It was clear from the mischievous twinkle in Callie's eyes and the slightly exaggerated sway of her hips that she was enjoying every moment of it.

"Where's Jake?" I asked pointedly as I watched them unload the boxes of food Renée had insisted on giving me (Callie refused to let me help, pointing out the cast on my wrist to everybody, much to my chagrin. As if the bruises weren't enough).

"Alice kidnapped him earlier," Callie replied blithely, flashing a grin at me as two boys attempted to relieve her of the 'heavy' boxes she was carrying. "They're doing secret wedding stuff, apparently, which is why they'll only be here later."

"Bella, can I talk to you for a moment?" Mike drew me off to one side without waiting for my answer. "Look, I just want to say...you don't have to marry Cullen, Bella."

I stared at him.

"I mean, you shouldn't be forced into doing anything." Although we were far enough away that normal people wouldn't be able to hear us from the truck, I noticed Callie smothering a giggle with one hand as her gaze flicked away from mine. "Nobody would care if –"

"Sorry, _what_?" I found my tongue at last. "You think I'm being forced into marrying Edward?"

"Well, not forced...but seriously, Bella, this is the twenty-first century. Nobody's going to care if you're not married." I felt my mouth drop open out of incredulity.

"You think I'm pregnant?" I blurted, saw by the way his cheeks flushed red that I was right. I knew my own cheeks were flaming, too, as I continued, "Mike, I'm not – we're –" I took a breath. "I'm not pregnant, Mike. I'm marrying Edward because I want to, nobody's forcing me into anything." With as much dignity as I could muster, cheeks bright red, I stalked off. "I _told_ him everybody would think I was pregnant," I hissed under my breath to myself. "I _told_ him – hi, Tegan." I swear the colour of my cheeks deepened as she cast me an amused glance, obviously having heard my tirade.

"Hi. Have you seen Seth? Oh, wait, there he is." I couldn't help but smile at the eagerness with which she dashed off, at the way Seth's face lit up upon seeing her.

"Bella." Angela came up beside me, glanced nervously over. "Bella...was Mike asking...?" She blushed. "Just ignore him. It was something Jessica said..."

"I'm not pregnant, Ang," I repeated firmly. "Does everyone here think I am?"

Angela didn't meet my gaze, and I groaned. "Great. Just great."

xox

"So I was wrong," Edward apologized for at least the tenth time. "I'm sorry, I didn't believe people would be so unbelievably narrow-minded that they'd actually think –"

"It's okay, Edward." I was finding it hard to stay mad at him; it always was difficult when he was this close, his arm hooked around my waist as we walked underneath the stars along the beach with the ocean whispering to one side, the crackle of the driftwood faint under the low murmur of chatter and laughter. Edward's scent swirled in the air around me, pleasantly mixed with the salty ocean breeze, the light smell of smoke – not tainted smoke like that from the clearing – and the scents of the night around us.

In a sort of unspoken agreement, we stopped walking then, turned towards the ocean. I held out a hand, and he linked his fingers through mine, brought our conjoined fingers up to his lips to brush a kiss across them. "I love you, Bella." Contented, I leaned my head into his shoulder, turned my head so that my lips could graze his jaw. In one smooth movement, Edward swung me against him, leaving me already breathless as his fingers skimmed over my waist, hips, barely touching me but each light contact sending thrills running through me. "I love you."

He crushed his lips against mine, stole what little breath I had remaining with the absolute tenderness in his kiss, in the way his cool fingers lifted my chin gently, in the way he held me. All too soon – it was always too soon – he pulled back, brushed back a loose strand of hair that had wandered into my face. Those topaz eyes reflected the stars as he stared down at me, like deep wells of emotion that he had held in check so long.

"I love you," I replied breathlessly. "You're everything...everything."

His arms clasped me as I gazed along the beach, eyes drawn to the fire that danced in blue flames, cast pagan shadows that leapt and twirled as sparks circled up into the deep blue of the night sky like little wandering stars.

Edward was my world; but there was still room in that world for the others we loved, for our friends and families who would be there for us through everything. I watched some of them now as they sat around the dancing fire, my thoughts wandering to the others who weren't there but were nonetheless a part of out lives.

In absentia there was Charlie and Renée and Phil, Esme and Carlisle, Rosalie and Emmett; Belladonna, Desari, and the other vampires and werewolves who had fought for us, _with_ us. Even Deandra, whose absence hung over her family like a shadow that had perhaps been a little lightened by the discovery of her daughter.

And those who were here, gathered around the bonfire. All the people from school, who would go on to grow up while Edward and I remained ever the same. Then the werewolves, Paul and Embry and Quil, Brady and Collin; Jared with Kim, Zayba snuggled into Gwion's side; Seth, too, had his arm about Tegan as she leant her head into his shoulder. So much love despite everything that we had been through, or perhaps because of it.

Finally my eyes rested on Jacob and Callie. As I watched, he leant down with his heart in his dark eyes to kiss her.

"I love you," Edward whispered again. In some peculiar way, those three words described the whole scene.

We stood together on the beach, my face turned so that my cheek rested just over Edward's heart. For a moment, my own heart beat loudly in my ears, seeming to swell in volume until it was loud enough for the both of us; a single heartbeat, as if we were one single being with souls entwined.

"I love you."

**A/N: And the end, at last. Epilogue up tomorrow...**

**Please review to let me know what you think of it...Thanks for being such amazing readers/reviewers throughout the entirety of this two-month story! Love you guys loads xxx :)**


	36. Epilogue

**A/N: Because this is Bella's story, I've finished with her and Edward. Here it is, at last – the final part of Shattered Sunrise. **

**How about if every person who reads this – I mean, after all, you've read the whole story – leaves me a review to let me know what you think of the story as a whole, now it's finished…? It would be really nice to hear from as many of you as possible.**

**P.S. I've worked out how to use the line dividers. Go me!**

* * *

**Epilogue**

"How are you feeling about tomorrow?" I craned my face up to Edward's, seeking a kiss, and he obliged me before answering.

"I can't wait," he replied.

"Actually, he's terrified." I gave a start at Alice's voice, snapped my head around to see her peering around the door with a grin.

"Get out of here, Alice," Edward growled.

"No, wait." I smiled up at him. "Why's Edward terrified, Alice?"

"Alice," he warned her.

"Edward," I mimicked. Then I cocked one eyebrow. "Unless you'd rather tell me yourself?"

Jasper's head appeared next to Alice's. "He'd rather not tell you, either way," he informed me with a grin.

"What is this, City Central?" Edward rolled his eyes.

"It's not like you were doing anything." Emmett appeared. "Everybody knows you're a prude, Edward. Ouch! Rose," he complained.

"Sorry about the idiot, Bella," Rosalie apologized as she too came into Edward's room.

"That's all right." I'd never quite appreciated just how much fun Rosalie could be until recently; I still wasn't sure when we'd started getting along, but I wasn't going to complain. "Have you any idea why Edward's scared of marrying me?"

"Bella!" Edward groaned.

"Hey, Edward, isn't she going to be promising to obey you tomorrow?" Emmett asked with a grin.

"Emmett Cullen, stop that!" Rosalie snapped.

"Yes, ma'am." Emmett's impression of a submissive, down-trodden husband was somewhat spoilt by the grin. "Of course, ma'am." Rosalie sighed.

"Don't worry, Bella, we crossed that one off," she told me. "It isn't mandatory."

"Thank you so much, Rosalie," Edward remarked icily.

"Edward's getting annoyed," Alice sang. "Come on, let's go. They won't be able to see each other most of tomorrow before the wedding."

"They'll see enough of each other afterwards, won't they?" Emmett snickered. "Ow! Rose, what was that for?" Their voices faded down the corridor, and I rested my cheek against Edward's chest with a giggle.

"Promise me something, Bells?" My fiancé lifted my blushing face with one finger under my chin. "Beat him at arm wrestling at least ten times when you're a newborn."

"If I promise that, will you tell me why you're nervous about tomorrow? And don't try to get round it by dazzling me," I told him as his face began to descend towards mine.

"I love you Bella." I shook my head stubbornly, and he sighed. "Do you want –"

"_Edward_," I complained, tilting my head to one side in my best imitation of Rosalie, "Stop that."

"All right, all right." I was almost undone by that crooked smile, but stood firm and he continued. "I might possibly be a _little _bit nervous…just slightly…because Callie and Jacob are coming tomorrow. Along with_ two_ packs of werewolves."

I thought we'd already been through this. If there was one thing I would argue with Edward for, it was the matter of the werewolves attending our wedding. Callie was a member of the family now; Jacob had been my best friend, and the pack had been our allies twice now. The treaty had been abolished, and we were all spending this evening – the night before our wedding – down at the beach at La Push. Mom, Charlie and I were going to be the only humans there this time.

We'd come full circle; so long ago, it seemed, that I had sat with Jacob beside that first bonfire when he told me the Quileute stories that had changed my life. "So…?"

"So…I have no idea what's going to happen tomorrow. Alice can't see anything," he explained worriedly. "I don't know if anything's going to go wrong, or what you're going to do, or –"

I pulled his face down to mine, stopped the flow of words with a kiss. "Good," I murmured against his lips. "Now you know how I feel most of the time. Why do you think I'm keeping Callie around?"

* * *

**A/N: PLEASE READ THIS!**

**Thank you, thank you, thank you for staying with me on this one! It's the first story I've ever actually finished…**

**So, big hugs to all of my readers. And extra special hugs to everybody who's ever left me a review, you know who you are! Love and hugs :)**

**Hope you all enjoy Breaking Dawn – and if you have time go check out the Twilight FanFiction Awards, where I've been nominated for an award! Voting starts 4****th**** August…**

* * *

**Also up today are the first chapters of my two new stories...please read them and let me know what you think!**

**White Wolves**

Complementary to Shattered Sunrise, the story of Dewayne White's pack; spanning 24 years, told from various points of view as different characters become the focus of the story; their triumphs, tragedies and the loves that hold them together throughout.

**Arguing with Edward**

Edward Cullen can hear voices – and he's not telepathic. Branded insane by all who know him, what happens when he spends the summer away from home? A fresh start…can he keep his alter-ego under wraps, or will it all go wrong for him and his new friends?

* * *

**Anyway – thank you again and I hope you'll go on to read my other stories! If you feel like it, just PM me to say hi…I'm off to France this week but I can guarantee a reply sooner or later! Love you guys virtual hugs**


End file.
